Times Are Changing
by Audrey K
Summary: Gabriella has a change of heart that leaves everyone questioning what's wrong. A plan gone terribly wrong, heartbreak, and a shocking accident bring the East High wildcats closer while others grow apart as they enter their last semester.
1. Classroom Antics

_**Dedication**__: For Ellie, who continues inspiring me to write.  
And, to all the 'rooftoppers' who keep me laughing, and finding new ways to write stories. Thank you!_

_**Disclaimer**: The words and plot are mine. I'm not cool enough to have thought up Troy Bolton and the wildcats._

Sharpay waltzed down the hallway, hips sashaying as if she were working a runway at Milan Fashion Week. Her blackberry lay glued to her ear as she ecstatically chattered into the receiver clicking and clacking alongside the row of lockers. She wore dark wash skinny jeans , a lose fitting red t-shirt with the words 'You Know you Love Me' scrawled across in bold yellow print and black stiletto pumps. Her blonde hair draped over her shoulders and down her back in wavy mounds bouncing in perfect rhythm with each step. Her pace never slowed; timid freshman huddled closer together as she approached, student's lugging backpacks on wheels behind them hurriedly clamored out of the line of fire. Sharpay had approached her final destination: homeroom. She rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed at having to end her conversation.

"Damien, butterscotch highlights are not going to cut it for the spring! Honey is all the rage now, don't be silly." she loudly bolstered.

Ms. Darbus opened the classroom door, wide-eyed and menacing. She glared at Sharpay loudly clacking her tongue.

"Miss Evans, so lovely of you to join us. I wouldn't want to interrupt you and your busy schedule."

"No worries Ms. Darbus! Damien and I have come to a mutual conclusion that honey colored high lights will blend best for the spring. Inspiring, isn't it?"

To keep the inviting idea of grabbing Sharpay by the hair and chucking her into the classroom at bay, Ms. Darbus blinked feverishly before settling on,

"Miss Evans. Class. NOW!"

Sharpay stumbled slightly, taken aback by Ms. Darbus' tone.

"Damien, we'll continue this conversation later. Ciao darling!"

Sharpay gave a vapid smile in Ms. Darbus' direction as she made her way into the classroom.

* * *

In the back of the classroom Gabriella and Troy whispered together before the bell rang. Troy leaned against a wall, Gabriella standing in between his legs, their hands intertwined. 

"What are your plans after school?"

"Well, we don't have basketball practice tonight. Want to come over after school?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Just meet me at my car after sixth period okay?"

"Troy, I get out at fifth period now, remember?"

Troy smiled, remembering Gabriella's multiple AP classes had left her in the lucrative position of only having five classes. She finished at 1:10pm while Troy had to attend Chemistry and wouldn't be finished until 2:45pm.

"That's right, little Miss Smarty Pants here only has five courses this semester, don't you?"

"Miss Smarty Pants!" Gabriella playfully scoffed. She puckered out her bottom lip.

Troy grabbed her waist, pulling her closer. He lightly kissed the top of her nose, and let his lips brush across hers. He pulled back staring into her cocoa eyes. She smiled, brushing her nose against his once more.

"I need to go to the library for a research paper anyway. I'll meet you at your car after sixth period."

"Ouch, you already have a paper assigned? It's the first day back from Christmas break!"

"That's how we Smarty Pants roll" she smirked.

"Ohhh!!!" Troy exclaimed, tickling her sides sending Gabriella into a fit of giggles.

Chad glanced up from his notebook where he had been doodling in the margin. He was in a rather foul mood this particular morning. He had stayed up watching the state basketball game with his dad that had gone into double overtime. With little rest and an empty stomach from sleeping in past breakfast, he grumbled.

"Are we going to get this show on the road or what?"

As if summoned on command, Ms. Darbus appeared, sending the students diving for their individual seats. Troy took off so fast he tripped over Taylor's backpack.

"Sorry Tay" he mouthed weakly, as she bent down to retrieve a few lose pens that had gone sprawling from the contents of her bag.

Ms. Darbus had a strict tardy policy. If you were not sitting in your seat by the time she got to her podium, you were late. No questions, no excuses; simply a red check by your name in the attendance book.

As Ms. Darbus strode toward her podium, everyone could hear a loud clacking followed by giggling just outside the door. In a flash, Ms. Darbus quickly paced toward the door, flinging it open in one swift movement. The class rubber-necked, ease-dropping on theconversation transpiring between Sharpay and Ms. Darbus.

Sharpay sauntered into the classroom, hot tempered and annoyed. Everyone cast their gaze downward, warding off any evil glares she might hurl their way. Troy shook his head. It was too early for drama, and he simply wanted this first day back to be over. He had become used to spending his days lulling around either his or Chad's basement playing Xbox 360, going on drives and dates with Gabriella, and of course playing basketball. Thinking of the dates with Gabriella, he glanced over his shoulder smiling brightly at her. Her eyes met his and she blew a discreet kiss in his direction. Troy blushed immediately.

"Mr. Bolton!"

"Yeah? I mean here! Uh, present!" Troy stumbled.

"Daydreaming are we Mr.Bolton?

"No m'am." he answered sinking lower into his seat. Troy could feel his cheeks growing hotter. He shifted uneasily in his chair.

'Great start to the new year.' Troy solemnly thought to himself, eyes focused forward the rest of the period. He smiled to himself, anxious for the alone time with Gabriella after the long day he knew lurked ahead.

* * *

Gabriella found her way to Room 206B. Although she had been at East High for the past year, some wings of the school still left her puzzled. As she eased herself into a seat near the front of the classroom, her cell phone buzzed. With a few moments before the bell rang, she glanced down at the new text message.

Can't wait to see you.  
Xo,  
T

Gabriella sighed happily. She and Troy had only grown closer since the NYE radio contest, spending as much time together when they found time to tear themselves away from family priorities and friends over the holiday season. She thought back to the end of the evening after dropping off Chad and Taylor. Troy had parked in a vacant elementary school lot

"I still can't believe we were on the radio, that's insane!" Troy exclaimed, loosening the still too tight tie knot. His father had unfortunately found him fumbling with it during the course of the evening, and tightened the knot much to his chagrin.

"I know, singing with you Troy. It's just so easy."

Gabriella searched Troy's eyes under the dim glow of the light posts. She felt her breath quicken in pace as he leaned over, grazing the hem of her skirt with one hand, gently placing his other hand on the back of her neck as they kissed. He always handled Gabriella with the utmost care, like a porcelain doll, delicate and careful.

"Ew, what are you doing?" a prissy voice questioned

Gabriella snapped out of her drunken-like daze, glancing around nervously.

"You might as well be drooling with your mouth hanging open like that."

Sharpay sat in the next seat over, legs crossed, staring at Gabriella with her head tilted to the side. Gabriella opened her notebook, scrawling the days' date in the upper right margin, desperately trying to ignore any confrontation with Sharpay.

"I have the unfortunate pleasure of hearing you and Troy's song all over the radio. It's like they've had it in full rotation since New Years day. I thought the prize was just one spin at midnight and that's it. But oh no. That would have been wishful thinking. Instead I hear that tune each time I get into my car, it's every where. Now why is that Gabriella?"

"Sharpay, I don't know. I guess the listeners request it." Gabriella replied, shaking off the bubbling feeling of anger rising in her.

"Oh would you give it a rest Sharpay? You know good and well why that song is on the radio all the time. It's amazing and you're just jealous."

Sharpay reeled in her seat, mouth agape. Taylor stood one hand at her hip, her eyes testily daring Sharpay to respond or undercut Gabriella again.

"Who's looking like they may drool now?" Taylor asked, driving Sharpay to pick up her pink notebook and feathered pen and relocate to another seat clear across the room.

Gabriella mouthed a silent 'thank you' to Taylor as she occupied the seat Sharpay had fled. The tactic to kill her with kindness proved harder than she thought. With graduation looming ahead, Gabriella needed no reasons to jeopardize her squeaky clean record by arguing with Sharpay.

Throughout the period Gabriella frequently let her mind wonder. She was not quiet settled back into school mode. She thought about her research paper, after- school activities and of course, Troy. She looked over and was met with a judgmental glare from Sharpay complete with an audible huff. Gabriella rolled her eyes trying to focus on the equations on the board but only half heartedly listening. Taylor sat furiously scribbling notes as their teacher droned on. Gabriella's hand shot up instantly.

"Yes, Miss Montez?"

"May I have the bathroom pass?"

Their math teacher handed over the stuffed animal which served as a hall pass, and Gabriella set off down the hallway. She rounded a corner and saw Troy hunched over tying his shoelaces. She smiled happily, breaking into a playful jog. Troy's eyes glanced up at the quickening footsteps and he beamed as he saw Gabriella trotting down the hallway. She playfully tackled him, as he scooped her up into a bear hug.

"Hey! What are you doing out here?"

"I should ask you the same thing, wildcat."

"I don't know. Just not really feeling this whole school thing today I guess. I've been gone ten minutes already. Just walking around" his voice trailed off as he gazed out the window.

"Do you want to get out of here?"

Troy's eyebrows arched, questioning her last statement.

"C'mon Gabi, you don't ditch. You'd never do that in a million years."

"Well, a million years came today. You want to?"

Troy shuffled his feet. He had ditched a few times over his course at East High, but he usually just went to the video store with Chad and hung out at a local burger joint before heading home. The prospect of an afternoon together with Gabriella was tempting, but it was their first day back and he didn't want to steer her to do something she'd later regret.

"Okay, your loss…" she teased, pretending to walk away.

"All right. Yeah, let's do it."

Gabriella smiled. She was surprised at her own eagerness to leave school early, but went along with the feelings, pushing away any pestering thoughts of getting caught.

"Okay, just let me get my stuff. I'm in 206B. Where do you want to meet?"

"Just meet me back here in 5 minutes. I've got to go get my stuff too."

Gabriella walked back toward the classroom, her stomach filled with anxiety. She knew it was wrong to ditch, and had never fathomed the idea before. Now how she would get her bag out of the classroom early without being caught was a whole other story.  
She stood at the doorway, looking into the classroom. Their teacher had broken them up into groups, and everyone was working on graph paper plotting out charts with rulers.

Taylor sat with Kelsi and another girl penciling in lines with deep concentration. Gabriella waved her arms frantically at Kelsi, who was dozing off slightly, her head bobbing up and down a little as her eyes closed. She shook herself awake and caught sight of Gabriella's gestures. Her head perked up.

Gabriella gestured to her backpack on the ground. Kelsi's head followed putting two and two together. Gabriella shook the teddy bear in her hand indicating she still had the bathroom pass and pointed at their teachers' desk. She needed Kelsi to get the bear back on the desk without the teacher noticing Gabriella hadn't returned from her bathroom trip. Kelsi nodded slowly, excusing herself from the group. She nonchalantly picked up Gabriella's bag keeping it low at her side. She strode over to the door, quickly exchanging the bag for the bear before frantically whispering.

"Gabi what are you doing? You can't ditch!"

Gabriella mouthed a 'thank you' to Kelsi and put her hand up to her ear, signaling to call her later. Kelsi stared after her friend, sprinting down the hallway.

Gabriella was surprised to find Troy already waiting, casually leaning against the window, his backpack hanging off one shoulder as he fooled around with his cell phone.

"How are you already back here so fast?"

"I don't know. I just walked in , grabbed my bag, and took off."

"But, how?"

"It's shop, Gabi. Mr. Stone is infamous for taking naps at his desk once he's given us our homework. Chad's just dropping off the work later for me, no biggie."

Gabriella accepted Troy's hand as they walked down the hallway. She hadn't even thought to ask anyone for the homework. She'd text Kelsi later asking her to get her math and history work for her. In the pit of her stomach she felt a knot. Against her better judgment, she shook the feeling away.

"Want to go get a milkshake or something?" she asked.

"Sure, we've got the whole afternoon free. We can do whatever we want!"

Gabriella smiled. At least if she were breaking the rules she was doing it with the hottest boy at East High.


	2. UhOh

_**Dedication**: Ellie-thanks for the suggestion!_

Troy walked back to the food court table where Gabriella sat with two milkshakes. His chocolate and her's strawberry. He playfully handed one milkshake to her, switching his hands before offering her the correct shake. She took a sip of her milkshake, staring around the mall, which had never looked so terrifying before. Troy sat next to her, timidly sipping his shake. Gabriella didn't notice him eyeing her face as she stared around examining everyone walking past them. She was worried someone would recognize her or Troy.

"Gabi, your not into this. Let's go back to school"

"I'm fine."

Troy stared her square in the eye, not buying her answer for a second.

"I'm fine! Really, I was just uh… looking around to see where I could buy some jeans. I've been meaning to buy a new pair, why not today?"

Troy didn't bother arguing. This day already felt odd enough. He didn't want to spend their time together bickering back and forth. He knew Gabriella wanted more than anything to go back to the safety of school, to be in class where they both should be, and completing her research paper. His only concern was why Gabriella felt the need to act this way. It wasn't like her. As they walked toward a boutique to look for her pants, Troy hoped that later she would open up more about what was really going on.

"Yay? Nay?"

Gabriella turned twice in front of Troy who was still staring at the odd shaped pink plastic chair he was sitting in. His eyes traveled from the chair legs to Gabriella's'. The pants hugged her body in all the right places. His gaze rested upon her shapely backside.

"Troy?"

"Yeah, er. Yeah. Those are good."

Gabriella crossed her arms.

"Just good?"

"They're great?" he offered.

She grinned slyly waiting for him to offer up more assistance.

"They make your butt look hot, okay?! They're awesome. You'd better get those."

Gabriella chuckled, pleased with both his answer and observations.

Troy stood up from the chair. It was hitting his back at an odd angle, and he was losing a fight against trying to find any comfort from a chair of that nature. He re-adjusted the beanie he wore tugging it further toward his brow as he grinned at Gabriella.

"Okay! Now that I am officially uncomfortable from this stupid chair and have broken the rules of manhood by showing interest in fashion, I'll be waiting outside."

Gabriella turned on her heel, swaying her hips as she walked back to the dressing room. She glanced over her shoulder at Troy who had been watching. He mimicked wiping sweat from his forehead and winked before heading toward the mall corridor.

Inside the dressing room, Gabriella changed back into her school clothes. She heard her phone vibrate inside her purse and her heart skipped a beat. Stricken with panic, she frantically tore into the contents of her purse for her cell phone.

'We're caught. We're dead, we are so dead. Oh no', she repeated over and over in her head.

Taylor's number flashed on her screen. Gabrielle reluctantly answered as she headed toward the register to pay for her jeans. Before she had a chance to say hello, Taylor began a long string of sentences delivered in a severe, almost hysterical tone.

"No. You. Didn't! Gabriella what are you thinking? Ditching? On the first day back from break? I mean honestly, who does that? In math class no less! Don't you care about the math club? Where are you? And I know Troy is with you, don't think I didn't notice he was gone too, you two aren't that smart. Where are you guys? Hello?"

Gabriella winced from the shouting, and calmly replied,

"We're at the mall."

"The mall? What? Why?"

"I needed pants."

"What!?!?! You were wearing pants today!"

The saleswoman ringing up Gabriella looked at her odd, hearing the screeching blaring from her phone. Gabriella attempted a weak smile as she waited for her change.

"Uh, Taylor, I can't really hear you right now, I'm getting bad reception."

"No you aren't! I can hear you fine! Don't hang up. Get back to school! I am going to kill Troy!-"

Gabriella quickly punched the end call button before grabbing her bag from the saleswoman who continued to look at her funny.

Gabriella thanked the saleswoman before taking off in a half-jog toward where Troy stood waiting. He had his back turned toward her, leaning over the banister watching the crowds meander about. Gabriella joined him by his side. He wrapped one hand around her waist, pulling her closer.

"Hey babe. Like your pants?" he happily asked before noticing Gabriella's frown.

"What's up? Gabi, you didn't have to buy those just because of what I said. I mean, you looked incredible in those, but I'll go back in there with you if you want to return them." He exclaimed, thinking her frown stemmed from an instinctive purchase.

"It's not the pants. They're great. Taylor just called."

She didn't need to further explain the situation. Troy had been on the receiving end of Taylor's wrath. Most recently he had suffered a tongue lashing when he'd interrupted a movie night after he had purchased the new Halo 3 video game. He hadn't asked Chad to come over right then, but remembered her stern tone when Taylor called to give him a piece of her mind the next day. He nodded solemnly knowing that Gabriella didn't need anymore reason to stress today.

"Want to head back? I'm cool either way."

"I want to get a burger."

Troy smiled once again as he felt Gabriella's fear subside.

"Want to head to that burger joint we always go to?"

Gabriella nodded as she walked alongside Troy heading toward the parking lot. She played with her hair, which she had painstakingly been growing out since the summer. It now hit just above her collar bone. She absentmindedly brushed it with her fingers, humming to herself. Troy led the way through the throng of moms with strollers and college kids still on break. Gabriella's' stomach lurched as she saw a security guard stare after them. He strode straight toward her and Troy, eyes narrow and intense. Her eyes widened and she let out an odd squeal. Troy looked slightly taken aback and he reached out to grab her hand, thinking something was seriously wrong.

"Gabi, what's-"

She grabbed his hand hard, pulling him toward the nearest store.

Once inside the store Troy turned around, announcing enthusiastically,

"Yes! This chair is awesome! You've gotta sit in it. I love this thing it's got like twenty different settings." Troy gushed about the expensive looking recliner. Gabi shook her head momentarily before realizing she'd lured them into The Sharper Image store.

"Troy, there's a security guard following us."

Troy reassured her she was just imagining things before his eyes fell upon the door where a guard stood, searching around. Troy's eyes met Gabriella's as she silently nodded, her face looking quiet pale. The guard spotted Gabriella and Troy, as he marched their way. Troy let out a yelp as Gabriella rushed ahead of him, running towards Sears. Troy kept up with her, huffing lightly as they raced to the bedding department, the guard hot on their trail.

Gabriella pulled Troy down behind a display bed, knocking over a few throw pillows. She huddled close to him behind the small space between the backboard and dry wall of the display case.

"How do you know this guy is after us?"

"Troy! Why else would he be chasing us?"

"Because we ran first." he stated matter of factly.

They both sucked in their breath as they heard approaching footsteps. Gabriella tensed as the guard stopped, leaning down to pick up the throw pillows she had bumped into. Gabriella squeezed closer to Troy, hearing him let out a slight moan as she pushed him further up against the wall. She held one finger to her mouth shaking her head furiously.

The guard placed the stray pillows back on the display bed, looking left and right. His walkie-talkie beeped loudly, causing Gabriella's hands to shoot up over her ears.

"Rick, what seems to be the problem? We've got a ten- four down at the food court."

"Couple of kids playing hooky. I chased them into Sears, but no sign of them."

"Lucky break for them. Report down to the food court. Page Samuel to help you."

The guard clicked a button on his walkie-talkie chewing his gum intently as his head slowly found the spot where Troy and Gabriella hid. As he walked forward to look closer, his walkie-talkie went off again.

"Rick this is a ten-four!"

He set off quickly toward the exit, looking over his shoulder once more at the display bed.

Gabriella had Troy's fingers clenched together in her hand. He bit his lower lip. For such a tiny frame, she had an iron grasp. He tried to make light of the situation.

"Still want that burger?"

She stared blankly at his face, not finding the humor in the situation. She slowly rose up from their hiding spot, checking once more to make sure the guard was gone.

"C'mon Troy."

As they walked out of the mall, the two did not notice a man in a grey suit and sunglasses staring after them. He remembered the two from the summer. He'd caught them more times trying to get away with late night pranks than any other club staff past or present. He retrieved his cell phone from his coat pocket, dialing 4-1-1.

"Yes, I'd like the phone number to an East High School. Thank you"

He waited as the phone rang.

"Principal Matsui speaking."

"Hello. I'd like to report a Miss Gabriella Montez and a Mr. Troy Bolton off school grounds."

"May I ask whose calling?"

"This is Mr. Fulton."


	3. Easy Does It

Gabriella lay across Troy's chest, his hand stroking the back of her ear. Their bodies sprawled out across his bed. They had foregone getting burgers given the risky game of hide and seek they were involved in at the mall. Gabriella smiled to herself as she looked across his room. His brightly striped pillowcases and framed basketball jersey, the pictures of them together from various school dances they'd attended. It was an accumulation of all the components of Troy she liked best. He valued his family, friends, and most of all he valued his deep feelings for her, and she could feel that. Troy flipped through the channels on his Bose system, finally settling on an alternative station. He looked down at Gabriella, finally ready to ask her why she'd decided to ditch.  
"Gabi?"

"Hmm?" she replied, barely above a whisper, the light thud of his chest threatening to lull her to sleep.

"Why'd you want to ditch? I've been wanting to ask, but didn't want to upset you. But seriously, how come you wanted to?"

Gabriella hesitated, not sure how to answer. She was afraid to admit the truths lying beneath her reasoning to leave East High that day. Her eyes welled with tears, but she fought them back and decided to let Troy in.

"We're almost done with high school. We're right there at the end, you know? This is the beginning of the end, and I'm terrified."

Troy felt the knot in his stomach grow in size. He too realized their lurking futures, the splitting off of friends as they each branched out on their own. He had dreaded this conversation for months, but accepted that is was time for them to discuss the fast approaching future.

"I'm scared too. I was born in this town, I've gone to school with most my friends since we were toddlers. It's anything but easy to think these bonds I've made might fade away in a few months. I'm not ready for that. I mean, who is?"

Gabriella sighed heavily. There were no words to communicate the sadness in her heart. She was getting used to East High, Troy, her friends, and it was all about to change. She had grown accustomed to picking up and starting off new, but it had never ached like this. She had time to prepare for each of those moves. In this instance, there was never enough time to be had with Troy, Taylor, Kelsi, or any of the wildcats. Time was all she wanted more of.

"I guess I just freaked out a little today. I felt like I couldn't breathe at school. I just needed to breathe."

Troy tightened his grip around her. He knew how she felt and sympathized.

"Troy? What do you think going's to happen with us?"

"We're going to figure things out. I know we've got a lot ahead of us. And it's nerve wracking, but I'm lucky I found you."

Gabriella looked up, searching his eyes. Troy was usually a bit reserved about his feelings. She knew he cared, but he had a harder time finding the words to express himself. He continued,

"and I'm willing to find a way to keep you. College is important but so are you."

Gabriella softly kissed his neck in the spot her head had been nestled. He gazed into her eyes as their lips connected with a familiar warmth.

"We'll figure it out." he repeated softly, stroking her hair as his lids grew heavy.

They lay together, softly breathing in each other's scent, gently rocking the other into a graceful slumber.

* * *

Taylor impatiently tapped her foot as she waited for Chad by his locker. He showed soon enough, apologizing for his tardiness.

"Sorry! Had to stay after for a second."

Taylor nodded her head, she was still reeling from Gabriella's lapse in judgment. It wasn't so much that she judged what Gabriella had done, she just knew her friend was above leaving school, and disregarding her education- even if just for a period or two.

"You okay?" Chad asked as he attempted to extract a basketball he had shoved into his locker before the break. With a few grunts, he settled on the fact that although he had found a way to get the ball inside, he'd have to wait for it to deflate more to get it out.

"Gabriella and Troy left early. They went to the mall."

Chad didn't reply, shoving lose papers back into the overstuffed locker so he could close the door without jamming it.

"Chad? They ditched."

"I heard you. It's not a big deal. I've ditched before."

Chad looked up.

"What Tay? I mean, no it's not something you should do all the time, but whatever. It's something everyone does at least once. Troy and Gabi will be back tomorrow and they probably won't ever do it again. Except for senior ditch day. Then we've all got to go somewhere cool. I was actually thinking a camping trip would be fun?"

"Everyone does it at least once? Everyone except me." she shook her head, frustrated that everyone she thought she knew was slipping into a comfortable daze. She wanted to stay focused. She had sent applications to Brown, UCLA, and Georgetown. Hearing back from those schools was what drove her to stay on track just one more semester before she was done with high school.  
"You want a ride home? We don't have practice today, so I'm free this afternoon."

"No, I'm just going to walk. Gabi and I were assigned a research paper for AP Art History. I need to work on that tonight."

"Are you sure you don't want me to just drop you off real quick? It's on my way home."

"Nah, I'd rather walk. See ya." She turned quickly, her disappointment beginning to boil over.

Chad went to give her a hug but was met with open air as Taylor turned in the opposite direction. He stared after her, proud that she was such a good student but wishing she'd relax and enjoy their last few months at East High a little more.

"Yeah, see ya…" he whispered to himself as he walked down the Senior hallway, dribbling his basketball.

* * *

Troy was awoken to a frightening cry from downstairs. His mother's voice echoed off the stairwell banisters. He could hear her slamming the garage door shut as she bellowed,

"TROYYYYY!"

He mumbled to himself "Yeah mom, I'm awake. I won't be late for school."

He heard footsteps approaching his door, before his bedroom door flew open.

"TROY!" his mother hollered into the room.

This time both Troy and Gabriella awoke, sitting upright eyes frantic. His mother looked at them back and forth, eyes narrowed. Troy cautiously tested the waters as he spoke.

"Uh, mom? What's up?"

"Oh don't play that clueless act with me mister. Downstairs. Now! You too Gabriella. I am giving you both two minutes and two minutes only to meet me at the kitchen table."

"Two minutes!" she barked before stomping off downstairs, huffing loudly to herself.

Gabriella turned to Troy, her mouth open forming an 'o' shape. She knew for sure they were in trouble for today's' decision. She gulped hard before climbing off the bed as Troy smoothed out the wrinkled comforter.

"Troy c'mon, you've got plenty of time to tidy your bed. Your mom said two minutes."

Troy hesitated, pulling his beanie over the top of his ears. He trailed after Gabriella as they headed downstairs to the kitchen. The site they were met with when they turned the corner to the Bolton's kitchen table made both Gabriella and Troy stop in their tracks. There sat Troy's mother and father, Mrs. Montez and principal Matsui who had two manila envelopes placed in front of him. They were all frowning hard, brows deeply creased. Principal Matsui gestured for them to join the group. Gabriella could feel warm tears spilling over her cheeks. She brushed them away with the back of her hand as she took a seat next to Troy who looked equally as upset. He bit his bottom lip and shuffled his feet uncomfortably. Principle Matsui spoke.

"Mr. Bolton. Miss Montez. Do you know why I'm here with your parents?"

They both shook their heads, feigning ignorance.

"I received a phone call from a Mr. Fulton this afternoon. You both worked for him at Lava Springs Golf Resort this summer?"

"What? Mr. Fulton? Why would he be calling you?"

"Troy, answer the question young man." his mother hissed.

"Yes sir"

"Yes sir" Gabriella whispered.

"It seems that he saw you two in blatant violation of our school's no off-campus rules at the mall? Sears, perhaps?"

"Gabriella, is that true? Did you leave school early with Troy today?" her mother asked.

Gabriella hung her head, she didn't need to reply, they all knew the answer.

"I don't see any dispute that I should believe otherwise. It is with a heavy heart that I must suspend both of you for the minimum of two days for an in-house detention."

Gabriella felt herself groan softly before burying her head in her hands, sobbing. Troy looked over at her, the large lump in his throat refusing to allow him to speak.

"Do you have anything to say for yourselves? Our star athlete, and a math club champion. What on earth would posses you to ditch- on the first day back from break no less?" Principal Matsui pressed. Troy's mother quickly interjected.

"I'm on my way home from my spinning course and I get a call from the principal saying you've ditched? And then I come upstairs to find you and Gabriella napping as if nothing is wrong?"

Troy's father's eyebrows raised at this latest development.  
"You two were in bed together?"

"Dad! C'mon! It's not like that, we were just sleeping! We were on top of the sheets, gosh!" Troy exclaimed, both hurt and annoyed.

Gabriella's sobbing grew in intensity at this. Now she was being accused of fooling around with Troy in front of everyone? The disappointment and humiliation became too much. Her mother reached out to rub her shoulder.

"Gabriella, it's okay." her mother reassured her.

"I'm sorry, but this situation is not okay Ms. Montez. These two have very important school applications coming back in a few weeks. They both are role models that our student body looks up to. It makes no sense." Coach Bolton replied, staring Troy in the eye.

"Troy, honey? What did we do wrong?" Mrs. Bolton uttered before grasping her husband's shoulder and crying.

Troy rolled his eyes. This was like a scene out of a movie and he couldn't believe the acting chops his mother was displaying in front of everyone. He rubbed his temples and fussed with his beanie.

Ms. Montez cleared her throat. Gabriella and Mrs. Bolton were both sniffling, Principal Matsui shuffled the manila envelopes around, and she felt Troy would crack any minute under the unwavering eye of his father.

"I think both Troy and Gabriella have had enough stress today. I'm not sure why they left either, but I don't want to make them feel any worse. They already have suspensions."

"About that. I can see that Troy and Gabriella are sorry for what they did. Perhaps my initial punishment was a bit harsh? I'd like to suggest something less severe given their clean records."

Everyone leaned closer, eager to hear what this newest development entailed.

* * *

Sharpay steadily climbed in place on one of the many elliptical machines in her families' built-in gym. She wore black capri leggings, a fuchsia sports bra with a large heart outlined in red rhinestones, and matching bright pink Nike sneakers. Her long blonde hair was pulled into messy bun that bounced up and down on top of her head as she climbed.  
She changed the song on her ipod. She had grown tired of the techno music she had been listening to. It shuffled to "Eye of the Tiger" and her pace quickened.

"It's the eye of the tiger, it's the cream of the fight  
Risin' up to the challenge of our rival"

She thought back to her many upsets once Gabriella had moved to Albuquerque. She had been the teen queen of East High, and that title seemed to be slipping further and further from her grasp. Her eyes narrowed as she climbed faster and faster. She had not noticed Ryan slip into the room. His outfit was quiet festive for his workout, he wore a bright yellow polo shirt, baby blue gym shorts and matching yellow head and wristbands.

"Hi Shar!" he happily waved to his sister. She didn't respond and he tapped her on the shoulder. Big mistake.

She went flying backward off the machine shrieking hysterically. She ended up on the floor , crashing with a loud thud. Her ipod had remained on, still pulsating music into her earphones.

"Risin' up, straight to the top  
Have the guts, got the glory  
Went the distance, now I'm not gonna stop"

She lay motionless for a moment eyes closed. Ryan bent down, severely concerned that she was hurt.

"Shar!? Shar? Are you okay? Sharpay!"

Maybe it was the song, maybe it was the spill, maybe it was Ryan and his ridiculous outfit but Sharpay flung off her earphones, yelling at the top of her lungs.

"RYAN!!!!"

He retreated back, certain she was not hurt, just mad.

"You look ridiculous in that outfit!" she screamed

"Well, so do you!" he shot back

She sat on the ground, kneeled down, hands on her hips. Her eyes appeared to be two slits as she glared at him. Her breathing slowed. She shrugged her shoulders in slight agreement. She did look rather aloof- her hair had managed to come undone and her once tight bun now limply dangled at the side of her head.

Ryan helped her up and she took a moment to re-do her hair.

"Did you hear what happened?"

"Did I hear what happened to whom, Rye?" Sharpay rolled her eyes, taking a stance to stretch out her calves.

"Troy and Gabriella ditched today."

"Big whoop. Why would I care about that?"

"Mr. Fulton caught them."

Sharpay's eyes gleamed. "I knew I liked that man for a reason."

Ryan frowned, he wasn't telling Sharpay this for her to make fun of the situation. He was just repeating what he'd heard transpire between his mother and Mr. Fulton when he'd called the house earlier that afternoon.

"Well, I guess they're in a lot of trouble. They'll probably be suspended."

"Good."

"What have they done to you?"

Sharpay stood up from the splits she'd been positioned in.

"Ryan, I don't have enough time in the day to tell you what they've done to me."

Ryan shrugged as he headed over to a weight machine, lifting up the dumbbells above his head. Sharpay walked over and pressed the house intercom button near the gym door.

"Mother!"

"Yes, sweetie?"

Sharpay pouted, she hated being called 'sweetie' .

"Ugh, mother. Why do you insist on calling me that?"

"What? Sweetie? Because you are my sweet!"

Sharpay closed her eyes regaining her composure.

"Mother, do you know what punishment that Montez girl and Troy received for Fulton catching them?"

"Nope! I'm sure you and your friends will hear about it tomorrow. If your brother is in there-"

"Hi mom!" Ryan yelled from across the gym.

"Ducky! Hi! Well, I want both of you upstairs soon. We're having chicken Florentine for dinner. Be in the dining room in forty-five minutes please!!"

"Mother, I'm on an all tuna diet! I'm not eating any other meats for two weeks, you know that!" she complained.

"Nonsense sweetie. Chef Gordon's been working hard on this meal all afternoon. Forty-five minutes, bye babies!"

Sharpay let go of the intercom button. She set off immediately to her bedroom, anxious to begin her rounds divulging what type of glorious wrath would be disposed upon Gabriella and Troy.

* * *

Gabriella sniffled loudly as she made her way toward her mother's van. Her eyes were red and puffy, her mascara had run down the sides of her eyes. She didn't care how horrible she looked, it only matched her feelings at the present moment.

Troy had been inside fussing with his mother how he'd been lucky that Principal Matsui had changed their in-house detention to a lighter sentence.

"You get back inside young man!"

"Mom, I'm just going to say bye to Gabriella, I'll be right back."

His mother went to object, but Coach Bolton held his hand up signaling for her to let him go.

"Gabriella! Gabriella!" he shouted.

She turned around to face him, numb to her surroundings, and her head was beginning to hurt from all the crying.

"Are you okay?"

She looked at him amazed that he would even think to ask such a question. She simply pointed at her face indicating the smudges of mascara smeared across her cheeks.

"Yeah, dumb question. Fair enough. Look, we'll get through this you know? We're all in this together, right?"

Gabriella tried to feel anything other than disbelief, disappointment, and defeat. She couldn't muster up those feelings and replied.

"Yeah, whatever." before turning away to climb into her mother's car.

Troy stared after her car as it drove away. His heart was in his stomach, for the first time fearing they couldn't all get through these tough times ahead together.

"Troy! In this house now! I mean it!" his mother shouted. He lightly jogged back into his house, not at all looking forward to his evening.


	4. Hot Mess

Gabriella shuffled her feet nervously, afraid to look up and answer the question her friend posed. Taylor and Kelsi were huddled around their lockers swapping out textbooks and binders for their afternoon classes.

"Gabriella? What punishment did you and Troy get?"

Taylor repeated herself, not quiet sure why Gabriella wasn't responding. Kelsi looked back and forth at the two, her blue eyes wide and alert.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it. You guys will know sooner than later what our punishment is."

"This is ridiculous, you know that right? I don't know why your being so secretive. Between the ditching, the lying, and now the attitude, it's like you don't even care anymore."

"That's not true Tay, I care. I just got caught up in my emotions yesterday."

"You need to get it together Gabi. It's our last semester. Just keep it together until we graduate."

Gabriella nodded solemnly. She was embarrassed for her behavior, and not looking forward to part one of she and Troy's two part punishment for ditching.

"See you at lunch? I've got to see my counselor about this schedule fiasco. I am so not taking Geometry! I am captain of the math club!"

Gabriella waved as Taylor took off down the hall. She could feel Kelsi eyeing her. She didn't want to snap at her, but she most definitely wanted her to stop staring.

"Gabriella? Are you sure everything is ok?"

"Yeah!" Gabriella lied. Her response had been a little too quick and eager to sound convincing. She prayed Kelsi would allow this small stretch of the truth to go unchallenged.

"I'm going to head over to Jason's locker. See you in the cafeteria?"

"Mmhm." Gabriella nodded without looking at Kelsi.

She watched Kelsi turn the corner, her ringlet curls bouncing atop her head- Gabriella had coaxed her out of wearing hats everyday. Today Kelsi had worn her hair half up half down with two small braids at each side of her head, connecting in back. Gabriella smiled to herself, she was proud of Kelsi. Come to think of it she was proud of all her friends and their accomplishments. Her smile quickly faded to a frown as the troubles eating away at her conscious surfaced yet again, In the pit of her stomach she knew that she and Taylor going to different schools would put a strain on their friendship, no matter how many phone calls and trips they promised. She thought of Troy. Her heart sank a little as she fought hard to push back the feelings of despair.

"Hey beautiful." she heard a deep, familiar voice coo from behind. She turned around, met with those piercingly handsome blue eyes. She couldn't believe after a year and a half how his eyes managed to unnerve her the way they blared past her vision, stealing a peek inside her soul.

"Hi babe. You ready for lunch period?"

"It won't be so bad. It's just having to clean up the cafeteria… in front of all our friends.

"It's embarrassing. I can't have people looking at me. I don't like being the center of attention. Never have, never will."

Troy smiled, easing some of her trepidations.

"Babe, I promise you, it's going to be fine. What could go wrong in the span of forty five minutes?"

Gabriella silenced herself although she wanted to reply 'plenty'. She knew all too well that enough could happen at East High in forty five minutes.

Besides, her mind was elsewhere since Troy had slid his arm around her waist, pulling her body closer to his. His lips gently pressed against hers. She melted into the comfort of his strong arms. He parted her lips with his as their kiss deepened. He pulled back, nibbling her bottom lip before placing one more light peck on her supple lips.

"C'mon trouble, let's get this over with."

Gabriella groaned in protest as he pulled her along toward the cafeteria.

* * *

Sharpay sat at her usual table, perched atop the highest section of the cafeteria surrounded by her three best friends and fellow socialites of the school. She looked around at her surroundings- expensive designer jeans, name brand handbags, strikingly good looks and blessed genes surrounded her. They were the cream of the crop at East High and everyone knew it. Satisfied with the beginnings of another fabulous lunch period, she sat leaned back against her chair, deep in thought. She was devising a way to break Troy and Gabriella up for good. She had come so deliciously close to extracting Gabriella out of the picture. Unfortunately, those ridiculous wildcats had once again seeped into his mind and affected him, ruining her plans and spoiling the entire talent show.

'Not this time' she smirked to herself.

She rummaged around her oversize Louis Vuitton bag, extracting a gold, elaborately bedazzled compact case. She fussed with her locks, brushing her bangs aside before coming to a starling halt. With the slightest movement of her hand she saw what looked like Troy Bolton. But he was adorned in hideous red scrubs and a hair net. Sharpay chocked back her astonishment at the sight, flinging the compact into her bag before she turned around to gawk at the spectacle unfolding before her eyes. She skimmed the cafeteria to see if anyone else had yet noticed this debacle. Young freshman were sniggering in the corner, pointing at Troy before resuming their whispers. She looked over at the jock table stunned to find each boy eyeing Troy uneasily, nudging one another and discretely pointing in his direction.

"Excuse me guys, I just need to grab that cup."

Sharpay reeled, knowing that all too sickeningly sweet voice. She took in the sight of Gabriella in red scrubs and a hair net, and began shrieking with laughter. Gabriella rolled her eyes, expecting nothing less but this sort of behavior from Sharpay.

"Just let me get the cup and I'll be on my way" she urged, feeling the heat rising to her face, spreading across her cheeks like wildfire.

"Oh. My. God! You. Look. Hilarious!" Sharpay gasped between her roaring laughter. The rest of the table began to point and laugh, causing Sharpay to bury her head in her hands, shaking violently with fits of laughter she could not contain.

"Dude, what are you doing in scrubs cleaning?" Chad asked Troy

"Part one of our punishment for yesterday, man."

"Wow, they've even got you in a hair net and everything." Chad ogled.

Troy heard the shrieking come from the top tier of the cafeteria and looked up. His heart sank as he saw Gabriella standing alone, the popular table pointing and laughing at her. He beamed proudly as he saw her make a gesture to crawl beneath the table and grab the cup she was trying to retrieve. She stood back up before straightening her scrubs, and turned on her heel to walk away. 'That's my girl!' he cheered inside his head. His moment of pride was shortly lived as he looked back toward Sharpay who was unscrewing the lid to a bottle of iced tea. She taunted menacingly.

"Oh Gabriella!"

Gabriella turned back around in time to watch Sharpay dump the entire contents of the bottle onto the floor. Her dark eyes stared her straight in the eye as her lips curled sinisterly. The stream of liquid formed into a large, dark puddle on the floor. She shook the bottle a few times before setting it back down on the table.

"You'd better pick that up." Sharpay challenged.

Gabriella hesitated. She could feel everyone's eyes on her as she slowly strode forward. She misjudged the slipperiness of the liquid and found herself toppling forward. Troy abandoned his post immediately, sprinting up the stairs two at a time to be by her side.

"That's enough Sharpay!" he yelled loud enough to make everyone jump. Sharpay gave him the look of a wounded puppy before blinking her eyes once and returning back an icy stare in his direction.

Gabriella struggled to regain her balance. Her hands and knees were soaking wet, and she had tears burning in her eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment. She heard Troy's voice whisper to her urgently,

"Don't give them the satisfaction Gabi. Hold it just a little longer."

She bit her bottom lip, her head remained downcast as Troy bent forward to pull her to her feet. She blinked furiously to stifle the tears and regain composure.

"Just hold it, hold it…" he gently whispered in her ear.

She sniffed hard and wiped her hands onto her stained pants. Ryan guiltily handed Gabriella her trash bag that had gone flying when she'd fallen. He mouthed an 'I'm sorry' to her. She smiled weakly and nodded her forgiveness in his direction.

She and Troy began to walk toward the stairs to head back to the lower level of the lunchroom. Troy placed his hand around her waist, making sure she hadn't hurt herself from the spill.

"Someone needs to clean this mess up." Sharpay hissed, unfaltering in her rage that seared through every pore of her body.

"Now!" she barked.

Gabriella quickly marched up to her, standing so close their noses almost touched.

"You clean it up!" Gabriella shouted.

"No, you clean it up! This is your mess, and I'm not the one in scrubs you freak!"

"You spilled it on purpose!"

"It slipped. Girls!? It slipped didn't it?"

The three girls nodded in unison.

"What is your problem?" Gabriella sized up Sharpay shaking off Troy who was trying to gently lure her away.

"You are my problem. You and your stupid songs, and your dumb bows in your hair, and your squeaky clean image!"

Gabriella shook her head furiously. "That's not the only problem is it Sharpay? Daddy's girl? Little Miss I-get-everything-I- want? Just say it!"

"Say what Gabriella? Why are you still talking when you should be mopping?"

Troy had already begun to clean up the spot with his rag, feebly attempting to rectify the situation.

"I am so tired of arguing with you!"

"Then leave." Sharpay turned around whipping her hair sharply across Gabriella's face.

"…You two faced bitch." Gabriella murmured under her breath as she rejoined Troy who was standing by the staircase, pleading with his eyes that they leave before things got worse.

"What was that?" Sharpay questioned, casually unwrapping an energy bar.

"You heard me. I said…YOU TWO FACED BITCH!"

Sharpay gasped and a long string of curse words and names flew out of her mouth. She sputtered after Gabriella as Troy led her down the stairs. He warded off the stares and gaping expressions as he trudged through the cafeteria. He and Gabriella took off their hair nets and threw them in the trash as they exited the lunchroom.

"What just happened?" Chad asked, glancing around at his team mates for an answer.

Taylor and Kelsi sat quietly, nonchalantly nibbling their sandwiches. What they'd just seen was bad, and from the looks of it things were only about to get worse between the ongoing feud between Gabriella and Sharpay.

* * *

After the spectacle in the cafeteria, Gabriella was convinced of two things. She would never be friends with Sharpay and she would never be able to show her face in the cafeteria again.  
She sat hunched over on the girl's locker room bench, shoes in hand mustering up the strength to continue the rest of the school day. She had two more periods, one of which was with Sharpay. She was certain that if looks could kill, Sharpay would be in trouble.  
She yelped as she felt a cool hand brush her shoulder.

"What the!-" she began before she looked up noticing Troy standing before her.

"The girls locker room? Are you kidding me?" she asked.

He shrugged as he sat down next to her.

"Gabriella what is going on with you? That wasn't you back there. The yelling, the fighting. What's really going on? You can tell me anything you know that, right?"

She avoided his stare unable to express her emotions.

"I would never hurt you. I would never mislead you. I would never judge you. But, if you don't let me in, how can I help Gabi?" His voice broke at the end of his sentence, causing him to turn away in frustration. He'd never cared so much for someone else's feelings. All he wanted to do was protect Gabriella, make her feel safe. He felt defeated, but more so hurt that she was keeping her feelings at bay.

"Please…" he begged.

Gabriella sighed. She didn't know what to say, it was a mixture of her fight with Sharpay coupled with her doubts about next year that left her at a loss for words. She slid on her flip flops and stood up. She looked down at Troy, the love in his eyes making it hard for her to speak given that all she wanted was for him to hold her in his arms and let all her problems fade away.

"Troy- I." she began.

He leaned forward to listen to what she was about to say.

Gabriella smiled, as she went to sit in his lap facing him. He smiled as she lowered her head down to his neck, kissing in little circle above his collar bone. His breath caught in his throat as her kisses turned to licks and melted into light sucking. Their lips met with force as Gabriella grabbed the back of his head, opening her mouth wide.

'She's afraid to talk to me and this isn't right' Troy thought, even as he returned the wanting desire back in the aggressiveness of their kisses.

"Gabriella" he half whispered.

She continued to nibble at his neck, placing her hands on his chest.

"Gabriella!" he yelled louder than he meant to. He'd just needed to stop her actions so he could think clearly.

"What are you doing? This isn't you. I mean, I love this…kissing you and getting to be with you, but… this just isn't like you."

Gabriella frowned. She hadn't thought Troy would stop her, and was a bit put off that she found herself under the spotlight again with his questions. She lifted herself off his lap, grabbing her back pack. Troy stared up, puzzled that she seemed upset and not understanding how her emotions were so on one minute and then off the next.

"Gabriella? What is going on?"

"Nothing Troy. We'd better go before you get into even more trouble for being in here or we're both late for class." She stomped forward, stopping to call out over her shoulder.

"You coming?"

He quickly grabbed his bag off the floor and followed her silently out of the locker room. This wasn't Gabriella, and he knew it.


	5. Hurt

_**Dedication**__: Thanks Ellie and Dee for the help and suggestions_

The rest of the afternoon went horrible for both Gabriella and Troy. In his haste to clear Gabriella's name, Troy had spent most of the evening before convincing his parents that she and him had done nothing more than nap in his bedroom.

"Troy Bolton, we had a deal. No closed doors!" his mother declared.

"Mom, we were napping, I swear. It's not like we were scrambling to find our clothes when you came in and woke us up!" he exclaimed.

"You and Gabriella are too young to be fooling around in that manner, under any circumstances. Especially before you've talked it over with us and Mrs.Montez." his mother alluded.

"Troy, we just don't want to see you make any mistakes that might jeopardize your future."

Troy rolled his eyes and groaned.

"We were just sleeping! What else can I do to get you people to understand that?"

"You people? Watch your tone young man." his father warned.

"Dad, this is crazy. Tell mom I was tired. So was my girlfriend. We were talking and dozed off. That's it. No Danielle Steel novel plots occurred, I promise."

His mother blushed, she had an excessive Danielle Steel collection in the basement. She'd actually just bought a new one over the weekend titled " Roaring Thunder".

"Well, you know your grounded."

Troy winced.

"For how long?"

"Until we say it's over."

* * *

As hard as he tried to focus, he had a one track mind as he trudged past the rest of his classes; Gabriella.  
Gabriella glanced over at Taylor. She hadn't spoken with her since before she had called Sharpay a bitch and she was nervous to hear what Taylor had to say. She felt a brush of paper graze her hand and she looked up. Taylor had passed a note to her. She opened it.

"I'm breaking up with Chad."

Gabriella's mouth dropped. She was usually able to control herself under the most stressful pressures, but this was too much. She had just called her only nemesis an awful name in front of all her friends in the cafeteria, and she was feeling trepidations about college and her future.

Gabriella stared at the paper, before slowly reaching for her pen. She wrote;

"Why??????? What happened?"

She passed the note back as their AP art history teachers' back was to them. She could hear Taylor's pencil scribbling. She refused to accept that her best friend was ready to throw in the towel on her relationship. She knew there was genuine feelings that both Taylor and Chad felt for one another. They were as different as night and day, but somehow their opposites attracted. They made sense. Taylor dumping Chad left Gabriella's head spinning. She once again felt the soft brush of hard paper against her forearm.

"I'm done. He's not serious enough about school and I need to move on. Are you okay? Lunch was pretty crazy."

Gabriella pondered the way in which she'd respond. She wasn't okay. She wasn't all right. But, she needed to keep up the façade that all was well in her world. She didn't want anyone knowing what truly lurked deep in her heart, causing all of her recent outbursts and uncharacteristic sadness.

"I'm fine, no worries. Are you sure you and Chad are through?"

She passed the note back. She waited while Taylor read. Instead of penning a response, Taylor solemnly looked over at her best friend and gave all the response she needed. She shook her head up and down a few times before letting her gaze fall back on the overhead screen to continue her note taking.

Gabriella let the numb feeling take over as she too began to jot down their teachers notes for a pop-quiz next week.

* * *

Sharpay was mad. No, mad didn't even began to scratch the surface of what she was feeling. She was downright fuming. She had been called out in front of the majority of the senior class by Gabriella Montez of all people. She had been on her turf, in the safety of the other 'populars', and she'd been made to look a fool. Sharpay narrowed her eyes, concentrating on what she could do to get back at Gabriella once and for all. She ruled this school and it was time for everyone to remember who the head prima Donna in charge was. Her leadership teacher cleared her throat, waiting for the class to settle down before announcing,

"By the way class. Our upcoming rally for the Homecoming dance will be organized by Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton. I expect all of you to be helpful and friendly, and to pull this rally off without a hitch. The first meeting is today after school at 5pm sharp."

Sharpay rolled her eyes. She would not be taking orders from anyone, let alone that Montez girl. She smiled brightly as a malicious plan exploded in her mind. She couldn't keep the sly grin off her face the remainder of class. She shushed Ryan loudly when he dared ask what she was so happy about.

"Rye, don't worry about it!" she snapped.

She couldn't wait. 5pm couldn't arrive sooner.

* * *

Troy and Gabriella met up after school under a large oak tree near the side entrance of the school. Gabriella had stayed after class for a moment, asking her teacher a few questions about the group project due the following week. As she approached the tree she hesitated when her eyes fell upon Troy. He was twirling a dry leaf in his hands, watching a group of birds peck at the ground. She wanted to tell him everything. Her fears, her concerns, what was truly wrong.

Troy let his mind wonder as he watched the birds fight over a few sunflower seeds strewn across the lawn. He felt someone watching him. He turned, and smiled brightly as his eyes found hers. He had missed her, even though they'd only been apart for two hours or so. He always found himself yearning for her, no matter how long their time together lasted. He couldn't get enough of a certain brown eyed girl.

"Hey!" he called out to her.

"Hi babe."

She sat down next to Troy, his arm instantly wrapped around her shoulders. She laid her head on his shoulder, taking in the brief moment of peace amidst their tumultuous day.

"You all right?"

Gabriella sighed loudly. She wanted everyone to stop asking her was she all right.  
'No! I'm not!' she wanted to scream. Instead, she settled upon,

"I'm fine Troy. Just not looking forward to having to set up this Homecoming rally. Wasn't lunch enough?"

Troy nodded. He too was not in the mood to paint backdrops and scenery or plot out an entire rally. He was not feeling so peppy.

Gabriella nuzzled his neck, letting out a soft moan. He grinned to himself 'I know what that means'. She eased her neck up, letting his smooth lips capture hers in a sweet kiss. Troy licked Gabriella's bottom lip, tracing an outline before gently sliding his hand behind the back of her neck, allowing his tongue to slide into her mouth. They sat under the tree, gently caressing one another as they continued to find each other's mouth.

Troy stiffened a little, he couldn't get the tone of Gabriella's voice out of his mind. 'I'm fine. I'm fine I'm fine' repeated over and over in his head. Was this another ploy to distract him from the truth? He abruptly broke free of their kiss, resting his hands against her delicate shoulders.

He didn't say anything, but let his eyes do the talking. For over a year he and Gabriella had no secrets. Their every whim, every hope and dream had been shared from the beginning. Gabriella stared back not quiet sure how to deal with this newest confrontation.

"Are you not attracted to me anymore?" she asked.

Troy gave a quizzical look, stunned that she would ever think his body wasn't always yearning for hers.

"What? How could I not be attracted to you?"

"Easy. Every girl in this school wants you."

"Well, I don't want every girl. I want you."

"But you keep stopping every time we get close."

"Because this is weird Gabi. Your not talking to me. It's like your using being close as a tool to shut me up. Are you?"

"You think I'm using you?"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to."

Troy sat up straight. What was going on here? He and Gabriella never fought. They had one stupid fight in the summer, which was completely his fault. He had started acting like someone he wasn't. But this was ludicrous that she was accusing him of wanting anyone else.

"What are you getting at Gabi? Why don't you just say what you mean?"

"I'm not getting at anything."

"You are. You wouldn't have said that if you didn't mean something by it."

Sharpay strolled across the lawn. She was on her way out for a quick Starbucks run before she had to report to the gymnasium for the Homecoming meeting. She sashayed from side to stop, stopping when her eyes fell upon Troy and Gabriella, in what seemed like a stand off. They were glaring at one another talking rather loud. She crept closer, hiding behind the bushes.

"I didn't mean anything by it Troy. Just chill."

"Just chill? You've been acting weird ever since we got back from break. What changed? Why would you question if I still want you?"

"Why do you keep stopping me? Do you not want to do that anymore?" she argued.

Sharpay was having trouble hearing their conversation, so she slid her stilettos off and inched forward.

"If that's all I wanted…"

Sharpay got close enough to hear them clearly. She waited.

"I would have dated Sharpay instead." Troy declared fiercely.

Sharpay clapped her hand over her mouth to keep from gasping aloud. She shrieked loudly under the clamp of her fingers over her mouth and took off toward the gymnasium. Forget frappachinos, she had something more important to execute before the meeting began.

Gabriella stared into Troy's crystal blue eyes, exhausted from the day and no longer having fight left in her to bicker with him.

"We've got 20 minutes before this stupid meeting starts, let's go."

"Gabriella, we didn't even finish this conversation."

"We don't need to. You said everything I needed to hear."

Troy went to object but was met with the force of his backpack being chucked into his lap. He sighed before slinging his arm through one of the straps as they silently made their way to the West gym.

* * *

Chad shook his head. He must have heard his girlfriend wrong. She was wanting to do what?

"Chad, I just think we need to take a break. I've got so much going on with school and your preoccupied with basketball."

"But, we haven't even had practice yet this semester! How could I be busy?"

"I think it's for the best."

Chad hesitated. He had not seen this latest development coming and was perplexed by what he was hearing. The hardness of the bench felt even more uncomfortable and he shifted his weight, trying to wrap his head around the situation.

"So that's it? Can you just think about it tonight and we'll talk tomorrow?" he pleaded.  
His searching eyes were met with a stern look from Taylor.

"I don't think so. It's what I want."

Chad reached for her hand, holding it softly, letting his fingers ease between hers. He pulled her close and softly brushed his lips against hers. He would miss her drive, her scoffing at his frankness toward others, the way her hair softly fell against her eyes and how he would brush it aside.

"I've gotta go. I'll see you around." she whispered as she pulled away from his arms.

He stared after her, not comprehending what went wrong or why she was walking away. But the hole she left in his heart stung. All he could do was hang his head between his legs and breathe.

* * *

Sharpay furiously attacked the light fixture with a wrench she had found in the janitors' closet outside the gym. She blew a few stray strands of hair away from her face before focusing her attention back on the heavy light. She felt the structure give a little. She stopped her twisting motions and tapped the metal once with her finger. It dangerously teetered back and forth, threatening to fall at any moment. She huffed a sigh of triumph as she maneuvered her way down the ladder she had set up. She grabbed a hold of the end of the string she had attached to the light fixture, and casually tossed it over her shoulder. She would make sure someone stepped on it one way or the other.

As she stood back admiring her work, she jumped as she heard voices approaching the gym doors. She glanced at the large clock hanging from the wall, 4:58pm. 'Perfect timing!' she giggled to herself before scattering away from the lights, and disappearing behind a shelf full of basketballs.

* * *

The meeting went smoothly. Troy and Gabriella had decided the theme would be 'Alice in Wonderland' and the leadership class was helping cut out large sheets of cardboard into the shape of mushrooms.

Troy watched Gabriella fuss over a canister of red paint as she struggled to open it. He smiled, knowing her small hands would never be able to pry the metal apart. He walked over and reached for the paint.

"I've got it Troy, geez!" she murmured, an annoyed tone penetrating through her usual delicate voice.

"I-" he began

"You what?" she shot back, testing him with her wide eyes.

"I was just trying to help you open that. It looked like you needed a hand."

"Well, I don't."

She stood up, pushing back her bangs that swayed in front of her eyes.

"I don't need your help!" she repeated.

Troy took a step back, blinking hard. Who was this angry girl standing before him? He didn't recognize this girl, although the soft features of the woman he loved were still visibly present. She was so upset with him and for what? He hadn't done anything wrong.

Sharpay stood, arms folded, watching the couple quarrel once again to her delight.

"Let's go outside for a minute. I want to talk."

"I don't." she objected, turning on her heel to march away. She didn't notice the thin white string caught under her foot. The lights swayed quietly, swinging back and forth.

"This isn't you Gabriella. What is going on?" he questioned, a look of absolute bewilderment spreading over his entire face.

"I don't want to talk to you Troy!" she shouted rather loud, pulling the string hard as her right leg strode forward.

Troy heard grinding metal. He looked to the side, then skyward as a thunderous snap resounded above, startling everyone strewn across the gymnasium floor. A group of sophomores shrieked, scattering quickly as the light's above tumbled from the rigs that had been holding them up. Gabriella frowned, her frustration subsiding as she saw Troy's eyes widen with fright. His expression scared her as he quickly lunged toward her.

"GABRIELLA!" he bellowed, pushing her with all his force from underneath the falling glass and metal.

Gabriella felt herself falling back, tripping over her feet as her body soared through the air. She landed with a bone crushing thud. She looked up, dazed by Troy's shove. Her mind flashed one clear sentiment. 'He put his hands on me. We are so over.'

Gabriella painfully twisted her body and lifted her head up in time to look back. She locked eyes with him briefly. She swore she saw a small smile across his lips. He had pushed her to safety, he knew she would be okay. She helplessly watched as the heavy lighting hit Troy across the back of his head with a sickening crack. Boys and girls ran from the falling wires and metal, frantically screaming. The lights flickered hauntingly in the gymnasium. Gabriella's body shook furiously. She sucked in her breath sharply before she felt the gentle murmur in her ears as she began to scream violently. She rushed to Troy's side. His eyes were closed, and a dark pool of brown liquid formed underneath his head. She touched the liquid, not wanting to believe it was coming from his body. She withdrew her hand, and could make out the bright scarlet color oozing down her fingers in the dim-lit atmosphere. It was blood. Gabriella threw her head back shrieking hysterically.

"SOMEONE CALL 9-1-1!!!!!!" she cried out.


	6. Look What You've Done

Coach Bolton had been paged immediately to the West gym, abruptly ending the varsity teams' first basketball practice of the season. Gabriella stood under the arm of Coach Bolton as he grasped her shoulder while they waited off to the side of the gymnasium as Troy was being attended to. He was hooked up to an iv, an oxygen mask had been applied over his mouth, and his head was nestled between a brace. He hadn't so much as stirred since the beams came crashing down.

Gabriella felt cold. Her entire body was numb and her fingertips oddly tingled. She stared intently upon Troy, hoping to see a glimmer of response, a jolt of his hand, anything. He did not move. The paramedics were trying their best to rouse him. They had already gone through 3 packets of smelling salts, and clapping their hands and urging Troy to "wake up son, c'mon open your eyes" fell upon seemingly deaf ears as Troy's body lay across the gurney. Gabriella shifted her gaze to his chest. She saw it rise and fall softly. Tears glimmered in her eyes as she yearned to simply be nestled against his torso, feeling his heart beating. Coach Bolton could feel her small frame trembling beneath his grasp. He was worried too, but needed to show composure so as not to scare the other kids… or himself.

"He's still breathing Gabriella. He's a strong kid. He will fight through this."

Gabriella didn't respond to this sentiment, she just kept her eyes glued on Troy's chest. She watched it rise up, then gently fall down, back and forth. She latched on to the gentle sway of his chest lifting up and down to keep her knees from buckling and crumbling to the floor. She needed to see him breathe.

"Gabriella?" Coach Bolton asked, concerned that his son's girlfriend might be in shock.

"Gabriella, would you like for me to get one of the paramedics to come over here?

Gabriella?"

She felt herself blink and weakly looked up into Coach Bolton's eyes. They were the same piercing blue eyes that Troy had been bestowed. The idea came into the forefront of her mind, blinding her momentarily what it would be like to never see those eyes of Troy's again.

Coach Bolton smiled gently, glad that she was not suffering from shock although the color was drained from her face.

"I already called Troy's mother, she's on her way to the hospital so he won't be alone when he gets there."

Gabriella nodded robotically. Troy's chest rose again and she felt a small sliver of happiness.

A few younger classman were huddled together, sobbing over the ordeal. They were being consoled by school counselors and teachers who had heard the ruckus and rushed over to the gymnasium. A paramedic approached Coach Bolton.

"Sir, you're the father correct?"

"Yes, yes sir."

"Your son may have a concussion. That blow was pretty bad. It's a wonder the weight of those beams didn't crush him. But he's breathing, and we've got him as stable as we can. With your permission we'd like to remove him from the scene."

"How severe of a concussion?"

"We don't know yet, sir. We're just on the scene help to stabilize the victim to get them to the doctors safely. They'll be able to help answer your questions better once they've examined him. I'm sorry I don't have anymore information." the paramedic shuffled his feet.

"Is there anything else?"

"Well, sir. The problem with a concussion is we need to keep the victim awake. They run the risk of…" he caught Gabriella's eye momentarily. "Sir, could you step aside with me for a moment?" he motioned for Coach Bolton to face away from Gabriella.

The paramedic had arrived on the scene first in response to the 9-1-1 call. He had found the small wide eyed girl with curly hair huddled over the injured young man begging him to open his eyes. She would not leave his side until the paramedics gently helped her stand up citing that they'd need to get in close to him in order to be of any help. Her worried eyes let the paramedic know she was this young boy's girlfriend.

"Sir, the thing is. With concussions. A victim needs to be kept awake. The worst thing we can see happen to someone who has just suffered a blow to the head-especially one as serious as your son's, is them falling asleep. We find it… troublesome to wake them up again. If at all."

Coach Bolton let these final words settle. He thought about what he or his wife would do if their only son never woke up. Suddenly, a memory of Troy flashed before his eyes. Troy was barely two years old, bounding toward him, arms outstretched, his chubby legs maneuvering slightly faster than he could handle. He had tumbled into the lawn and lay shrieking loudly. His father had rushed over, cradling his baby boy in his arms, gently whispering that he would be okay. He vividly remembered the light scent of baby powder wafting into his nostrils and his boy looked up gurgling happily before attempting to run off again, reassured that he would not fall, and that if he did, daddy would be there to pick him up. He looked over now at his son, nearly an adult, lying helplessly, head bandaged and bleeding, hooked up to various cords and monitors. He could not help him now. The feeling of guilt and helplessness washed over him, causing him to suck in his breathe harshly. He felt light headed.

"Sir, are you all right?" the paramedic lay a hand on his shoulder, helping keep the man at his side steady.

Coach Bolton looked up as he painfully whispered. "That's my baby boy over there."

The paramedic sighed heavily, patting his shoulder.

"Sir we will do everything we can to make sure your boy wakes up from this. We will do our very best. That's a promise."

Gabriella had caught parts of the conversation. It was nothing she didn't already know. She had taken a summer school course at the community college in neurological sciences where they had studied the human brain in depth. She knew the grave danger Troy could possibly face if he did not wake up soon. She grimaced as she watched a paramedic mop up the blood still covering the spot where Troy had fallen. She closed her eyes, swallowing hard.

"Gabriella?"

She snapped her eyes open.

"Would you like to ride over to the ER with me? We can call your mother from the waiting room so she won't worry."

She did not respond, but felt herself stepping forward to trail alongside Mr. Bolton. Troy was being wheeled off outside the gymnasium doors to an awaiting ambulance. The gurney rolled past them and they continued on toward Mr. Bolton's Range Rover. Troy was hoisted into the back of the awaiting emergency vehicle. The lights began to flash, sirens blared and Gabriella watched over her shoulder as the distance between she and Troy grew further and further apart from one another.

* * *

Sharpay had mentally crumbled when she watched, horrified as the light beams she herself had rigged to fall on Gabriella, wound up injuring Troy. She drove fast through red lights and stop signs in her pink BMW, not caring if she was pulled over.  
Her instinct right after the incident had been to run away.

'You coward. You stupid, awful coward' she repeated over in her head and she pressed her foot down on the pedal even further, feeling the wind whipping her hair around furiously. She arrived at the iron cast gates of her mansion, barely pausing to punch in the gate code before she floored it into the driveway. She parked, and quickly ran inside, and upstairs to her bedroom ignoring the 'Hi sweetie, dinner's almost ready!' from her mother. She brushed past Ryan not even looking in his direction.

Ryan stared after his sister, worried at the wild look in her eyes and the ashen tone of her skin. Was she sick? He felt the walls rumble as she slammed her bedroom door shut and shrugged, walking downstairs to help his mother set up for dinner.

Once inside the safe haven of her room, Sharpay began to lose it. She tore at her hair, threw bedazzled pillows around her walls, watching as the beads pinged in every direction. She was crying hysterically, throwing anything her hands could find around her room. She picked up a photo of she and the other wildcats from the summer, the night of the talent show, where they had all been given paper lanterns to take out back. She threw it forcefully against her bedroom mirror, watching as it left a deep crack in the vanity table.

'What the hell is wrong with you? Troy Bolton might never wake up and it is all your selfish fault! Gabriella was right. You are a bitch. Always have been, always will be.' Sharpay thought to herself and she ran into the bathroom and jerked the faucets on. She ran her hand under the warm water frantically peeling off her clothes. She felt dirty and just wanted to wash the day away. Maybe she had been wrong. Maybe it hadn't been her fault that the lights had fallen. Who was she kidding? If Troy never woke up it was her fault, and her fault only. She let out a guttural sob before standing underneath the water. She put her hands against the cool tiles and lowered her head allowing the water to penetrate her hair and slide off her shoulders.

'Please let him be okay God. Please help Troy wake up.' she prayed.

She felt her knees buckle as she slumped down against the shower wall. Sharpay Evans, budding thespian, daddy's little girl, spoiled brat, thinnest, prettiest girl in school cradled her knees against her chest, and rocked back and forth under the falling water, praying for a miracle for Troy.

* * *

Gabriella felt a hand gently rousing her awake. It was 12:55am and she, Troy's parents and her mother had been waiting since 6pm for an update. Gabriella had frantically called out to any nurse passing by, hoping one of the kind faces would have an update on his status. To her dismay, everyone solemnly shook their head to her questions. She jolted awake, her eyes leaping back and forth.

"Troy!" she yelled, still waking from her nap.

"No honey, it's mama. Honey, do you want to go home? Mr. and Mrs. Bolton will be here all night. They will call us if there's an update. Right?"

Mr. and Mrs. Bolton shook their heads in unison. They took pity upon Gabriella. Mrs. Bolton had watched as the young woman jerked in her sleep, her face grimacing as she mumbled inaudible sentiments.

Gabriella rubbed her eyes, wincing as she repositioned her legs that had been tucked underneath her. She smiled looking down at Troy's letter jacket that someone had wrapped around her. Coach Bolton quickly averted his eyes. He had grabbed his son's coat from the backseat of his car as he and Gabriella arrived at the hospital. It was he, who had gently lain it across her small frame when she'd dozed off after a cup of chamomile tea from the hospital cafeteria.

She pulled the jacket tightly around her shoulders, breathing in the faint smell of Troy. She needed to see him. She just wanted to watch him sleep, to see his face, to hold his hand. He would know it was her, she just knew it. Everyone was convinced that he had been unresponsive, and she would not hear a word of it. It was nonsense to her. Troy would wake up. Troy was fighting. He would open his eyes again. She looked around, surprised that most-if not all the waiting room were friends of Troy. Chad, Jason and Zeke had set up a checker board a nurse had brought out for them. Kelsi rested her head on Jason's shoulder, casually watching the game. Even Taylor, who had just broken up with Chad was hunched over her laptop, reading glasses perched upon the tip of her nose, her fingers clicking furiously. Gabriella remembered their AP art history paper. Taylor was unfaltering with her academics. She caught Gabi's eye and gave a small nod of her head, to which Gabriella returned.

At that moment a doctor in green scrubs approached the group.

"Mr. and Mrs Bolton?"

Jack and his wife stood immediately, starting toward the man. The doctor raised his hand, smiling softly.

"Please, sit down. You two have had quiet the scare." he looked around at the waiting room full of teenagers, putting two and two together that these were the young man's friends. "You all have." he called out to the room.

"Your son suffered a severe blow to the lower cerebral of his brain stem. He is showing reaction to stimuli. When his feet are touched, he responds. When his arm is pinched, when we say his name- we see definite brain activity. He doesn't seem to have any brain injuries, no bleeding, no swelling. We were able to use staples to close shut the wound to the left side of his head with no problems."

Mrs. Bolton covered her mouth with her hand and Jack instantly grabbed her shoulder. Tears were pouring from her eyes, thinking of her son, scared and alone not able to wake up.

"We are not out of the clear just yet. With concussions of this nature, especially given that Troy was knocked unconscious, it is a waiting game to see when and if he wakes up. We will give him another 12 hours before reassessing our options, and running further tests than the cat scans and x-rays we have already administered. I'm sorry, I wish I had more information. Tomorrow we will know more. He seems like a fighter. When we mentioned his friends were here, we could see in his brain wave frequency that he could hear us. He's not gone."

The doctor shook Jack's hand, and Mrs. Bolton nodded a quick thank you before the doctor took off down the hallway to attend to the other patients on the floor.

Jack cleared his throat. It was now 1:25am on a school night.

"Kids, I know you are all worried about Troy, but you've got school in just a few hours. Go get some sleep, you are more than welcome to come back here right after school tomorrow. Chad?"

Chad looked up.

"Let the team know practice is cancelled for the rest of the week. You've got the roster at home right?"

"Yeah, sure coach."

"Thank you. Now please, I must insist that you all get some rest. I know Troy appreciates your support so much. He knows you were all here. I will make sure to tell him you are all rooting for him and that you waited."

Everyone began to pull on their jackets and coats, stretching and yawning lazily. It had been a long evening and Mr. Bolton was right. They had school at 7am, and most of them had rushed to the hospital before they'd laid a hand on their homework.

Gabriella did not budge. She sat firmly in place watching as her friends filed out. They gave encouraging sentiments and rubbed her shoulder as they passed by, before expressing their heartfelt concern to Mr. and Mrs. Bolton.

"Gabi, c'mon baby. Let's get you home and get some warm soup in you before bed, okay?" her mother urged.

"No. I'm not leaving Troy."

Her mother frowned slightly. She knew Gabriella well enough to know that her tone was not to be questioned. She would not be leaving unless by force. Her mother looked at Troy's parents.

"Can she stay? I'll stay with her, but only if we are not an inconvenience. We understand how difficult this must be for you, and will respect your wishes if you'd like some privacy. Won't we Gabriella?"

"Yes." Gabriella lied. She wasn't going anywhere.

"Oh honey." Mrs. Bolton sobbed, before burying her head in her hands. She wiped back tears. "You can stay as long as you want sweetheart. Please excuse me, I need to go to the restroom. I must look a fright." she tried to smile, but stopped. It was too exhausting to smile at the moment.

Gabriella focused on her clasped hands, before Mr. Bolton spoke.

"Gabriella would you like to see Troy now? We've been in his room. He's not in too bad of shape. There's a lot of cords and iv's in him, so don't let that frighten you. I know you probably want a minute with him."

Gabriella was already standing from her chair, she felt her heart beat faster.

"Want me to come with you, baby?" her mother asked.

"Um. Can I just have a minute with him by myself? If that's okay?"

"Of course honey, I'll be right here." her mother settled back into her chair, opening a magazine.

Gabriella walked behind Mr. Bolton past various rooms. She heard soft crying, raspy coughs and loud snoring. She didn't like the way the hospital looked, or how it smelled. It scared her. They rounded a corner, and Mr. Bolton pointed. 

"He's in there Gabriella. I'll wait out here in the hallway."

Gabriella glanced over her shoulder as she approached the heavy blue door. Mr. Bolton smiled and urged her forward silently mouthing 'go ahead' to her. She walked into the dark room.

* * *

Inside, she heard machines whirring. The faint smell of rubbing alcohol hung in the air. Troy was lying on his back near the window. Gabriella covered her mouth stifling a cry as she saw what looked like dozens of machines surrounding him. His head was bandaged, and he looked very frail. He was hooked up to a machine helping him breathe, and he had two iv's in each of his arms. Wires crept from under his hospital gown, monitoring his heart rate and breathing. She was scared to approach, but the sight of him kept her creeping forward. She inched closer, keeping her eyes on his heart monitor.

"Troy?" she whispered.

The heart monitor did not change. She tried again, regaining confidence in her voice.

"Troy?" she called out.

She could see the lines jumping, and the beating increased. She felt her eyes fill with tears. He was not gone.

She quietly pulled up a chair next to the bedside, and looked down at his body. He looked the same- same bone structure, same face, same body, but it was all weakened. His body lay limp and unresponsive besides the up and down movement of his chest. An air bag filled gently each time he breathed and released as he exhaled.

She gently reached for his hand, scared to touch him but not able to help herself. Once her skin came into contact with his, she curled her fingers tightly around his and spoke again.

"Troy. It's Gabi. Hi baby."

She saw the lines jump again, this time more erratically. She looked up into his face.

"I love you."

His eyes were frantically moving behind his lids, he was trying to respond. He could feel her. He could hear her. He knew Gabriella was there. He fought. Gabriella witnessed this and gently responded.

"I know that you know I'm here Troy. I know."

His eyes continued to flutter violently under his lids. He was getting frustrated. 'Gabi, I hear you!' he wanted to yell, but couldn't find the strength.

She didn't want to run the risk of Troy exerting too much energy and reassured him,

"Baby, I know. I know you can hear me."

His eyes stopped twitching. She laid her head beside his hand and held on tight.

"I'm here Troy." she called out to no one in particular.

Troy could hear her and responded inside his head, 'I know you are.'


	7. Tell Me A Secret

Gabriella's mother had convinced her to come home after she'd visited Troy in his room. Mr. Bolton had been kind and allowed her an hour alone with him, even after nurses insisted

"But she's not family."

"She is to my son. Just let her be."

She didn't want to leave his side, but couldn't afford to miss anymore school given her lapse in judgment when she and Troy had ditched. She thought back on how she had sashayed back to the dressing room that afternoon, taunting Troy and the cute way his mouth dropped and he feigned wiping sweet from his forehead. Tears began to roll down her cheeks for the countless time that morning, as she and her mother hugged the Bolton's and made their way to the van. Gabriella sat, silent and contemplating the entire ride home. Her mother glanced at her sideways several times, but left her daughter to mull things over in her head. Gabriella clung tightly to the letter jacket Mr. Bolton had given her before they'd left the hospital.

She resisted her mother's offer of warm chicken noodle soup and drug herself upstairs to her bedroom softly closing her door. She did not turn on the lights, but simply slipped out of her flip flops, laid on top of her bedspread, and wrapped herself up in Troy's jacked, softly crying herself to sleep.

* * *

The school day was a complete blur for Gabriella. She did not speak to anyone, and hung her head down as she walked down the hallway. She could feel people staring and whispering as she went from class to class.

"That light would have hit Gabriella if Troy hadn't stepped in."

"Did you hear? She was yelling at him right when he got injured."

She stared at the floor, refusing to let anyone's judgment affect her day. She needed to just get through class, and then she could ride her bike over to the hospital.

As she made her way to her math class, she felt her cell phone buzz. She tore through her backpack. She had made her mother promise several times to call her the second she heard an update on Troy. She sighed heavily as she read the message from her friend.

"The gang's all going over to Ryan's house for a swim after school. Want to come?"

She replied back.

"No. Going to see Troy."

She felt a small ounce of relief as she settled into her chair when she saw that Sharpay was absent that day. 'Good, her drama is the last thing I need right now.' Taylor exchanged a concerned hello, making light conversation before class began.

* * *

She had been called into the office right before her last period ended. She grimaced, annoyed that she would be a few minutes late to visit Troy.

"Come in Miss Montez" her guidance counselor gestured for her to take a seat.

"You wanted to see me?" Gabriella quickly asked, not bothering to say hello.

"Er, well yes. I know that you were present yesterday when the terrible accident occurred in the West gym. I just wanted to let you know, if you need anything, or if you'd just like to chat, I'm here."

"Okay. Is that it?"

Her counselor stared blankly.

"Yes Gabriella that is it. But you know you don't have to deal with this all on your own? I know you and Mr. Bolton are dating. I've seen you two at some of our school dances. I just wanted to see how you were holding up."

"I'm fine and I'm sorry for the brief response. I was just supposed to be on my way to the hospital right now to visit him. I guess I'm just a little anxious. I didn't mean to be rude."

Her counselor smiled gently, nodding her head in understanding.

"Well, I wouldn't want to keep you. I wish Troy a very speedy recovery, the school is sending the entire Bolton family our prayers."

Gabriella nodded hastily picking up her bag and lightly jogging outside to the bike rack.

* * *

Sharpay could hear her brother and the wildcats shrieking outside, jumping in and out of the pool. She had locked her bedroom door the night before and refused to open it for anyone. Her parents were concerned, but decided that everyone is allowed one day of mental wellness, so they allowed her to stay home from school. She had not risen from her bed since she had collapsed the night before.

'How do I make this right?' she wondered, her eyes welling up. She snuggled deeper under the covers, trying to block out the sunlight piercing through her purple blinds and pink drapes. She had to tell someone what she'd done. She would accept whatever consequences came with revealing the truth. It was beyond evil what she had done. She had seriously hurt a boy she had only wanted to get to know better. Although she and Troy had attended school together since they were toddlers, he had never given her the time of day opting to hang with his guy friends. Occasionally he and Chad would run off with one of her Barbie dolls back in 1st grade, shrieking hysterically as she screamed bloody murder. Sharpay felt her stomach growl. She had not eaten all day, choosing not to respond to the gentle knocks her mother or Ryan would attempt to see if she needed anything.

She curled up into a ball, letting her grief take hold of her entire body. She shook violently as she sobbed, not caring who heard her. She felt empty, alone, and scared that no amount of apologies could fix what she had done.

* * *

Gabriella had been greeted by only Mr. Bolton when she arrived at the intensive care unit. Troy's mother had gone to the airport to pick up his grandmother and grandfather and would stop by the house first to pack a suitcase for she and her husband to spend another night with their son.

"Hi Gabriella. Feeling all right today?"

She shrugged, "Is Troy?" she asked.

The hope in her eyes was enough to send Mr. Bolton into a fit of tears. He wanted to be able to tell her Troy was awake, smiling and doing fine, waiting for her to arrive. He wanted so badly to give her an answer that would keep that hopeful look that he soon knew would dissolve into panic and grief. He had only cried once through the ordeal. He had been at Troy's bedside the night before, talking him through an ASU state basketball game.

"Peterson's got the ball and- oh! It's a foul!"

His father clapped his hands together. He looked over at his vegetative son, hoping that the basketball game might help. The doctor's continued to reassure him that Troy could in fact hear everything they were saying. He reached out to stroke his son's arm.

"Troy, hey buddy."

He could see the heart monitor flicker. This tended to happen when people were using Troy's name. He nodded- the heart beat was a good sign.

"I know you are scared, and I know you are tired son, but I need you to fight, okay? I need you to not give up. Your mother and I- we" his voice broke loudly as tears began to blur his vision.

"Your mother and I need you to fight. I'm not ready to let you go." His father finally subsided to the pain in his heart, clasping his sons hand as he let himself grieve. He sniffed loudly, trying to gasp for air, his shoulders heaving up and down.

" Don't you give up, you hear me?"

Troy's heart was breaking. He could hear his father crying by his side, pleading with him to fight. 'I am trying so hard dad.' he thought. His eyes flickered, he was trying to open them. 'Please' Troy begged, urging his eyes to open, to speak, for anything to happen so that people could know he was there. He couldn't. He didn't know how to leave the darkness surrounding him and come back to the light.

His father stared at Gabriella, her eyes still wide and searching.

"Gabriella, Troy's condition hasn't really improved much. He's been the same all day. The doctor's say give him one more hour before they re-evaluate the situation."

There it was- Mr. Bolton watched as the sparkle in her eye faded , overshadowed by cloudy blackness. It was gone. The hope she had and that he wanted very much to give her, had been destroyed.

"But, he was responsive last night. I said his name and his eyes were moving."

"His eyes were moving!" she exclaimed, almost teetering on the verge of hysterics.

Mr. Bolton guided her to a lounge chair.

"Gabriella. They're doing everything they can. All we can do is wait and I know that's hard. But we've got to stay positive for Troy. He's still there, we've just got to help him find his way back."

Gabriella nodded. She agreed that Troy was very much still there, and that he'd find his way back to them all.

* * *

Another long evening set in. Miraculously, Troy's condition had improved. The nurses removed the oxygen mask and machine assisting his lungs as Troy could now breathe on his own. He had been put through several additional x-rays, cat scans, and two large vials of blood and bone marrow had been extracted and sent to the lab. Troy's body ached. Even with the heavy medication, he could feel the needles probing in his forearm.

By 7pm, the wildcats had arrived to set up camp for another overnight stay. Gabriella smiled as she saw her friends. She touched her face, she hadn't smiled in what felt like weeks. Taylor approached her, a large grin spread across her face.

"For you." she presented Gabriella with a duffle bag filled with some lounge pants, slippers, and an East high hooded sweatshirt.

"And here." Kelsi happily announced, peeking from behind Taylor.

Gabriella stared into her toiletries bag filled with soap, face wash, toothpaste, and a toothbrush.

"Oh, don't forget this." Ryan exclaimed, rushing over to hand Gabriella a brown bag.

She peered inside, her smile spreading as she took in the junk foods, girly magazines, I-pod, and soda's inside.

Her heart was conflicted. She was soaring from the kindness of her friends but it ached for Troy. She gulped hard to swallow the large lump she felt tickling her throat.

"You guys… I- I." she stammered

"Your welcome" all three friends replied, returning to their seats.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, excusing herself to change into the lounge clothes. She hadn't brought anything with her besides her book bag and she was thankful for their consideration and caring.

The wildcats were allowed into Troy's room for a brief ten minutes. They filed in, silent and shuffling their feet. Most of them had not seen him at all, so the sight was a lot to take in. Taylor clutched Chad's arm, large tears rolling down her face. Kelsi also cried, Jason squeezed her shoulder. Zeke and Ryan stood off to the side awkwardly, stealing glances at their friend and the various tubes coming out of his body. Martha was silent, her hand clamped over her mouth. Chad looked around. This was not what Troy would want. He wouldn't want them all standing around, bumbling like idiots and grieving. He wasn't dead. He was sleeping and it was about time he woke the hell up.

He drew in his breath deeply, prompting a glare from Taylor for being too loud. Boy, was she about to get madder because he knew the one thing that Troy would want to hear from his friends in a time of need.

"What team?!" he shouted.

Everyone whipped their heads around, staring hard at him. Taylor let go of his arm shaking her head solemnly. Kelsi and Jason's' mouths both hung open. Gabriella approached Chad, her face serious, her brow burrowed.

"Wildcats!" she yelled, pumping her fists in the air causing Chad to respond with,

"What team?!!!!"

"Wildcats!!!!!!" everyone cheered.

Troy was beaming inside. He didn't want anymore tears shed over him. Chad had been his best friend since they were four. He knew everything about him. He knew about the time he had accidentally broke his mother's favorite serving dish and blamed it on the dog. He had felt horrible when they had to give him to his uncle. He knew that Troy secretly wanted to be a pilot, that he hated golf (but happened to be naturally good at it) and that he had once cried like a girl when they'd watched The Fox and the Hound together when they were little and having a sleepover. Chad had promised that night that he would never tell anyone that Troy cried like a girl, and he also promised that they would be best friends forever. Troy needed to fight harder. He wasn't trying his hardest, and he wanted to wake up. He wanted to find the light.

"What team?!" Chad yelled, jumping up and down now.

"Wildcats!!!" Gabriella was crying. She cried out of happiness, out of heartache, she cried for Troy, for all the things she was feeling at that moment and hadn't been able to release until now.

Troy's eyes flickered again. The wildcats were crying and hugging each other oblivious to their friend who had opened his eyes and was lying back blinking slowly. Martha was the first to see his face and shrieked hysterically, covering her hand over her heart, cowering toward the door. Chad looked over at the bed, afraid his crazy antics may have caused more hurt than good. He was met with a glossy stare from his best friend, his partner in crime, his brother from another mother, he was looking into Troy's eyes. He grinned hard, rushing to the bedside. Ryan fainted, prompting Zeke to catch him, not a moment too soon before he hit his head on the floor.

"Whoa!" he yelled out, catching the lucid boy in his arms.

Gabriella sprinted to the other side of Troy. He turned his head toward her slowly.  
She winced, frantically waving her hands to try and stop him from moving,

"No, no, no, Troy! Don't move your head! Someone go get a doctor! Troy don't move!"  
She stared into his eyes, he was moving his mouth.

"What?" she whispered, leaning closer.

"Hi wildcat." he quietly groaned.

Troy could feel the warm tears hitting his neck.

"Welcome back, wildcat."

* * *

Troy's father had never run faster than when the doctor's had announced his son was awake. He pushed past the nurses and startled some of the patients on crutches or in wheelchairs and he laughed heartily, running toward the room.

He was met with a group of lively teens, excited and whispering to Troy. His son's head turned when he entered the room. Troy was still lying down, but he could feel his dad's presence. He felt the tears beginning to sting his eyes.

Their almost identical eyes locked, and his dad slowly approached the bed, grasping his arm once he was by his side.

"I'm not ready to let go either, dad" Troy cried into his father's arms as he leaned down gently wrapping his arms around his boy, muffling Troy's sobs against his shoulder. Gabriella sniffled loudly, and gestured for everyone to leave and give the two some privacy for a moment. She glanced over her shoulder, taking in the image of father and son locked in a tearful embrace, thankful that one had pushed to fight when the other was letting go.

* * *

Troy had to remain in the hospital through the weekend. The doctors were bewildered by his recovery. He showcased little to no injuries from the accident, and all his vitals came back positive. To call it a miracle would have been the understatement of the year.  
He had lots of visitors, but unfortunately the morphine drip left him loopy and many times he would wake up to a card lying on his bed stand where someone had come by to visit but had been met with loud snores and heavy drooling.  
On the eve of his last day in the hospital, Troy heard a light knock at the door.

"Come in." he yelled over his Playstation 3. His dad had purchased it and brought it over that afternoon. It was the coolest thing he'd ever laid eyes on.

He didn't look over when the door opened, mesmerized by the graphics and loud sound affects of the cars zooming past the frames on the tv set.

He jumped a little when he heard a voice.

"Troy?"

He looked over quizzically. It was Sharpay. He had actually wondered where she was. Everyone down to Principal Matsui and Mr. Fulton had come to visit him and wish him good luck. Sharpay had been M.I.A. even prompting an uncomfortable shrug from Ryan when he asked of her whereabouts. He had grown used to her antics and pushy ways. It wasn't like her to stay cooped up and away from everyone.

She looked tired. Her eyes were gaunt and dark circles encased the lower part of her lids Her hair was uncharacteristically long and straight, no curl in sight and she wore a red baseball cap. She had on grey sweats and a loose tee, with her UGG boots. She wore no makeup.

'Had she been admitted to the hospital too?' he thought to himself. He paused the game smiling at her.

Her eyes registered the smile and flew open in shock. Why was he smiling at her? She didn't deserve that. She had come to tell the truth. To tell how she was the reason he had almost remained in a permanent state of sleep, she was the cause of hurting his family and friends, and she was the one who had rigged the lighting to fall on his girlfriend.

She frowned, sitting in the chair closest to his bedside.

"Sharpay, are you all right? You look awful." Troy rubbed the back of his neck nervously, he immediately regretted saying that.

"Gee, thanks Troy." she flatly replied.

"I have something really hard that I need to say. You are probably going to hate me forever for this, and I have no one to blame but myself. So, here goes."

Troy's eyes widened. Was she going to propose? He couldn't handle that right now.

"Troy, I-" she began

"Troy, I-" she stopped again. She sighed heavily and sobbed as she finally said aloud what she had been keeping inside the past week.

"Troy I was the reason the lights fell. I heard you telling Gabriella you would have dated me, and I just. I guess I've just wanted that for so long that I took it way too far and rigged the lights. I rigged it thinking only one would fall, and it was meant for Gabriella. I am so sorry. I'm an awful person. I understand if you want me to leave and never talk to you again, but I had to tell you the truth. I can't keep it inside anymore. It was my fault, and I'm-" her voice chocked up. She sobbed into her hands.

Troy stared. He couldn't believe what she'd just said. This whole incident, this entire ordeal had been planned by Sharpay? Sharpay Evans? He knew she was malicious, but this- this latest development was just plain evil. What could posses someone to do that? And she had meant for it to happen to Gabriella on purpose? His head hurt, he felt dizzy. He breathed heavily through his nostrils. His emotions were all over the place.

Sharpay sobbed, terrified that Troy would lunge at her any moment and never forgive her. It was the least she deserved.

The bubbling feeling of anger was quickly subsiding to something else. Troy felt pity for Sharpay. He felt an overwhelming sense that she was a confused girl, who had never been told no in her life and that it had literally driven her temporarily insane. He felt bad that anyone could be so selfish. He felt bad that she had invested all her hopes and dreams into a false life the two of them would never have. He felt pity for Sharpay, when he had every right to take this chance to verbally accost her and have her sent to reform school. He didn't want to see that happen. He knew Sharpay wouldn't last a day in a military school environment. The life that she knew, the spirit she had would forever be altered and changed if that happened. He knew that if he told anyone what she had done that he would be ending her happiness forever. He was above inflicting this sort of punishment upon anyone- even Sharpay. He drew in his breath before speaking slowly and quietly.

"Sharpay, tell me a secret."

She stared at him, nod comprehending what he was saying.

"What?" she questioned.

"Tell me a secret. Tell me something you've never told anyone else in your entire life. Tell me something, and I will tell you a secret of mine so that you know that I will not break the promise I am about to make with you."

She gulped, still not understanding the situation.

"You are to never harm Gabriella, ever again. I don't care if she purposely trips you in the hallway in front of the entire senior class or if she beats you at another school play. It ends now. Do you see how far this has gone? I don't need to tell you what happened to me, you already know. Sharpay, nothing, not one thing is worth so much that you should have ever tried to hurt anyone."

"Tell me a secret, and I tell you mine and we're even. I won't tell anyone what you did."

She hesitated for a moment, scared to respond.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because you are my friend. Maybe I never made that clear enough in the past, but you have been my friend since we were little."

She smiled softly.

"But Sharpay, you've got to understand something and let it sink in. You and I- well, there will never be a you and I. Even if things don't wind up working out for Gabriella and I in the future, there will still never be a you and me. I've just never felt that way about you, and I'm sorry. My friendship is all I can offer. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm a pretty damn good friend." he grinned.

"Troy, why are you apologizing to me? I'm the one who hurt you. Who took this jealousy thing way too far. Why are you being so nice?"

He shrugged. He wasn't quiet sure why he was being so nice either. Gabriella would have been wrestled off of Sharpay if she had been in the room, that's for sure.

"So, let's have it. What's your secret."

She sighed. She knew exactly what secret she would share with him and it was a shameful thing she had been doing to herself for five years now. Not only was it shameful, it was slowly killing her and she knew it. But she didn't know how to stop.

"I'm bulimic." she whispered, not daring to look Troy in the eye.

He nodded to himself.

"I accidentally got my dad fired from his job before he started teaching at East High. I had visited him at work and he was a lawyer. I spilled coffee on a deposition he needed to present that afternoon while he was downstairs getting us lunch. In my panic I shredded the whole thing, thinking he'd be mad. Instead, he lost his job. I lied and said I didn't touch anything when my dad asked me if I'd seen it on his desk. I've never told anyone that. To this day my dad doesn't know what happened to that file, and I feel so guilty."

Sharpay and Troy sat at a standstill, not saying a word to one another. Troy began to get uncomfortable, the silence was unsettling after the heavy revelations they'd both revealed.

"So that is my promise to you. I can't date you, and I won't stop loving Gabriella. But, I can promise that I will keep your secret, and that I won't breathe a word of what you did to anyone. You have some pretty solid dirt on me now, and I'm trusting you not to mess that up. But if you break any of that promise, or I even think your about to be mean to Gabriella again- I will tell Principal Matsui. Deal?"

"Deal."

She stayed a little longer, asking how he felt and shaking off his invite to grab the other controller and join in his car racing game.

"Did you see the flowers daddy had sent to you from me?"

Troy winced looking at the glittering pink and baby blue flowers, large and dramatically arranged.

"How could I miss it."

Sharpay beamed, and stood up to leave.

"Troy, you should have knocked my head off for what I did."

"Yeah, maybe." he thought aloud, but turned toward her smiling and added,

"…but I'm not that guy."


	8. Playing Catch Up

In the weeks following Troy's accident, all the wildcats had adjusted to the new semester and everyone began settling back into the swing of things. Gabriella had exhaustedly helped Troy with his late assignments, making sure he understood every equation before he properly solved the problem. Chad pitched in to help him complete the wooden bread box they had been assigned in their shop class.

One afternoon as Troy sat at the kitchen counter filling up on fruit salad his mother had prepared that morning, his father stopped back at the house before basketball practice. He needed to pick up the new phone roster he'd made copies of for the varsity team. He greeted Troy as he came in from the garage.

"What's up?"

Troy nodded his head in reply, his mouth filled with fruit as he mumbled

"Sup dad?"

"Just grabbing new rosters. Don't let me forget to give you one."

Troy nodded his head.

"I know the doctors said three weeks was enough rest, but I want you to take off a month from practice. What's one extra week going to hurt?"

Troy feigned disappointment when his father announced that he would have to miss the next month of the basketball season.

"Aw man, really?" he asked, disguising the immense pleasure surging through his body at the prospect of no early morning runs or after school practices for another two weeks.

"Don't act too disappointed." his father joked, not for a second accepting the mock tone in his son's voice.

"No, I'm bummed dad. Super bummed." Troy announced through a large grin spreading across his face.

"You're lucky the coaches at ASU have seen you on the court last year. Thank goodness we invited them to our scrimmages a few weeks ago. You were very fortunate to get that scholarship. I want to see you apply yourself. No slacking just because you aren't practicing."

Troy rolled his eyes slightly.

"Dad, I know. This is a huge opportunity. Scholarships are limited, and I'm lucky to have received one. I can't help it if I'm a little intrigued by the idea of free time before and after school."

Jack smiled softy in Troy's direction. He knew his son worked himself ragged at practices to live up to his role as team captain, and to improve upon his already impressive talent.

Playfully nudging Troy in his arm, his father felt the incredibly deep pangs of parenthood and unconditional love flow through him. Back at the hospital he had grappled with the difficult task of imagining a world without Troy. He was forever grateful that he'd found his way back. He was glad to have his boy back at home, smiling, laughing, showing no signs of permanent damage from an accident that could have ended far less favorable.

"In the meantime while your resting up I bought you something to pass the time."

Troy's eyes sparkled, hoping it was a few more games for his Playstation 3, or even better the new Wii game console. He salivated at the prospect of the new system.

"Here." his dad grunted, hosting up several boxed sets of 'Sports Illustrated Best Basketball Games' starting as far back at '72 ending in present day.

"Oh, don't want to forget these." he lifted up three individual dvd cases of local ASU games he'd requested from the college. They'd arrived two days prior.

"I expect you to be watching these, studying the moves, and prepping while you're out. Every opportunity you get, you should be cozying up to these.

"Oh, uh-" is all Troy could muster. Not only was this not anything related to his video games, this was likely to occupy a lot of his free time if his father's sentiments were true.

"Every waking hour?" Troy repeated

"Well, not literally. You go to school, eat, sleep, shower, but I expect to see you watching these. They are not to be left strewn about this house for decoration."

Troy flipped through the dvds. He checked the run time on the largest set. '610 minutes' was the total clock time. He loved basketball, but it wasn't his idea of fun to have to study dvd's every day.

"This feels like abuse. Did I do something wrong?"

Jack smiled, dismissing his son's hidden talent for the dramatic and grabbed the large stack of papers off the kitchen counter. He tapped the Sports Illustrated set- Larry Bird had some great games in there.

"You should start now with this one. Is your homework all done?"

Troy bobbed his head up and down.

"Good, so you've got the whole afternoon to start!" Jack clapped his hand on Troy's back, before calling out a goodbye over his shoulder as he left.

He opened the fridge, filling his bowl with another helping of fruit before lugging the heavy load of new dvd's to the family room. A stellar Larry Bird game in '80 was the first pick of the afternoon as he popped it into the tv and sunk back onto the couch.

* * *

Gabriella laid across her bed, books spread open before her. She had kept up with her studies while Troy was in the hospital, but was spending more of her time huddled up in the library and her bedroom reading ahead. She also brushed up on her current events for the decathlon clubs' semi-finals competition that was quickly approaching. She was happy to be easing back into the groove of schoolwork and time management.

She grabbed her cell phone, punching in a text to her boyfriend. She knew he was at home, but they'd decided to hang out another day after school during lunch period.

Troy located his phone wedged between the couch cushions and smiled brightly as he read the text.

'Just wanted to say I miss you. Want to get together after school tomorrow? TGIF! Love you.  
Xoxo  
-Gabi'

He replied back,  
'I miss you. My parents probably won't let me drive ne where. Want 2 come over here for dinner and a movie? They have dinner plans- my mom's company has this thing. I love you too, always will.  
-T'

Two minutes later he felt his phone vibrate in his lap.

'Sounds great. I'll bring brownies for dessert. What are you up to?'

Troy swallowed, even with the mass amount of fruit he'd just eaten the idea of Gabriella's mothers' brownies was tempting and made his mouth water.

'Awesome, I've missed those! In hell studying basketball games.'

Their texts went back and forth for the next hour, neither of them paying much attention to the project at hand which should have occupied their attention.

* * *

Troy jumped as he heard the garage door open. The dvd had almost finished and his father would ask questions. He hadn't so much as glanced up amidst the texting with Gabriella, which had taken a turn for flirtation and sexual innuendos.

'Crap, hold that thought babe. Brb' he quickly pressed the send button.

His father gave an approving nod as he saw Troy sitting right where he expected him to be, in front of the television watching the dvd's. He watched the screen, quickly remembering the Celtics and Lakers going head to head.

"So, what'd you learn?" he asked before heading to the kitchen to start dinner.

"Uh, well I mean there was just so much to watch." Troy stumbled. He quickly saved face by spewing out stats he had heard the dvd go over in the beginning.

"Well, I learned that in the 1980 season Bird led the Celtics in scoring an average of 21.3 points per game, rebounding 10.4 per game, he made 143 steals , and his total minutes played was roughly 3,000. He was also second in assists with 4.5 per game and, uh.  
He made 57 three pointers."

"58!" his dad yelled from the kitchen, smiling to himself that Troy truly seemed to be taking the dvds seriously.

"Right, yeah. 58 three pointers."

"Well, if your not tired you should pop in one of the ASU starter games from last year. That Johnson kid is going to be in the top twenty of the draft, did you know that?"

"Yeah, cool dad." Troy's voice trailed off. He was skimming Gabriella's latest text and blushed.

'It's cool, I need to finish this work. Maybe we could play out parts of that little fantasy, wildcat. It's been a while… have fun with those dvd's.  
Xoxo,  
-Gabs'

He couldn't wait for tomorrow evening.

"I don't hear a game playing in there!" came his father's sing-song voice as he began chopping steak filets and bell peppers for the fajitas.

Troy pushed play and tried to pry his mind from holding Gabriella in his arms as the commentators began to chat away.


	9. Let's Try

_**Dedication**: See Ayen? I can write about Troyella!_

Troy had woken up excited for the day. Usually his morning consisted of a verbal scrapple between he and his mother about when Troy would get out of bed, sometimes ending with his father's booming voice awakening him harshly if he was having a lazy bout with rousing himself.

"Troy honey, it's-" his mother began as she opened his bedroom door. She was taken aback by the scene she was met with.

Her son was not only up, he had already showered and had a robe wrapped around him as he went to make up his bed.

"Don't die mom. Yes, I'm awake already."

"I just don't see this very often. I need to enjoy the moment, lord knows when it will repeat itself."

"Mom…" Troy half whined as she leaned against the doorframe lovingly gazing upon him.

"No googily eyes this early."

She chuckled to herself before shutting his door and letting him get back to his morning routine.

* * *

At the kitchen table Troy asked his parents if they were still cool with Gabriella coming over that evening for dinner and a movie. 

"Do you need some money for pizza?"

"Uh, well. I was thinking I'd cook pasta or something. That's easy, right?"

Troy's mother coughed a little as she went to swallow her coffee. She remembered the last time Troy tried cooking. It had ended with him flinging a burnt pan out the kitchen window as smoke billowed from the oven, setting off the smoke alarms. He had stood with soot on his face before his parents as he nervously tried explaining he'd been hungry for quesadillas.

"Honey, I will leave $40 on your dresser before I leave. Just order pasta from Lucia's. You like their food, right?"

Troy nodded in agreement. He knew she was thinking back to the burnt pan in the back lawn that he'd thrown in his haste to get the smoke out of the kitchen.

"Thanks."

"Are you going to have time to fit in a game before she comes over?" his father hopefully asked.

"Dad, it's Friday!"

"No rest for the weary." was the blunt reply he received as his father pushed back his chair and motioned for Troy to join him so they could head to school together. He rose, kissing his mother lightly on the cheek before heading out the garage door.

* * *

Troy found a sticky note on his dresser, with $60 resting underneath when he came home from school that afternoon. 

'Troy,

Here's a little extra if you want to get a nice meal for you and Gabriella tonight. We'll be home late. Curfew is 1am, keep that in mind.

Love,

Mom'

He sighed, thankful that his mother had eased up on the curfew and limitations that had been set forth during his junior year. He and Gabriella's alone hours had a precise cut off of 9:30 pm on a school night, and 11:45pm on the weekends. Many times, one or both of them had ended up sprinting home to make it indoors on time from their dates. His father had never particularly cared for 'rules' and would sometimes let Troy stay out longer, or just tell him to crash at Chad's house and be back early if it was getting late.

It was 3:45pm, and Gabriella had said she'd come over at 6. He pushed a dvd into the drive, turning up the volume and opening his bedroom door to ward off any questions from his father.

He jogged downstairs to find the Lucia's menu. He returned back to his room, flopping down on the bed as he mused over the selections. Gabriella was a picky eater. She did not like her foods to be touching on her plate, she swore off fish in the 3rd grade, and she wrinkled her nose in the cutest way known to mankind when she would take a timid bite of something Troy had asked her to 'just try'. He knew spaghetti and meatballs was safe, maybe some alfredo… the choices were endless and being eighteen meant he could eat endless amounts of food. He settled upon two house salads, an order of penne and meatballs, chicken parmesan, and a medium cheese pizza. Gabriella had never eaten at Lucia's before, so he wanted to make sure there was enough choice for her to get her fill in.

"Aw, Troy that looks so cute!" his mother gushed as she walked past the den to put away the ironing board.

He had found a red checkered tablecloth for the table and set out plates, bowls and silverware. Two candlesticks stood in the middle of the spread.

"Mom!" he blushed furiously as he scratched the back of his head.

"Does it look ok?" he quietly asked.

She could feel tears in her eyes and blinked them back. It would only embarrass Troy more. She had a great idea for one more addition, replying

"Be right back, I have something perfect in mind."

Troy smiled, he appreciated his mother's help. He tried to always be sensitive to girls' feelings, especially Gabriella's. Although, he found more often than not he was utterly clueless to the foreign territory of girl-world. He found his mother to be his confidant when he wasn't able to make a 'cute' decision for Gabriella.

His mother returned with two crystal drinking goblets the stems encrusted with gold gemstones. She had warned Troy from birth of the repercussions of breaking one of the dishes. He raised an eyebrow.

"Wine mom? We don't drink wine."

She shook her head,

"I'd be an awful parent to encourage my eighteen year old and his girlfriend to drink underage. I just thought these would add a nice touch. Use them for milk or something."

"But that's silly, we can use regular cups from the kitchen."

His mother stood, staring back at her son.

"Will Gabriella like it?"

She handed him the goblets.

"She will love it. Just be careful with them." she warned before disappearing around the corner calling up to his dad that they needed to leave in five minutes.

Troy set the two glasses next to the plates and bowls and stood back admiring his work. 'Not half-bad!' he thought to himself. He called the order in at Lucia's knowing they would only take about fifteen minutes to deliver and rushed upstairs to shower.

* * *

"Bye guys!" Troy called loudly over the shower. His father had stopped at the bathroom door reminding Troy what restaurant they were going to, and to have fun. 

Troy quickly rinsed, thought about shaving, but figured the hazy stubble above his upper lip wasn't too burly looking and set the razor back down. His hair was getting long. He hadn't cut it since the hospital, and it had grown in where they'd trimmed the area where he'd needed staples. The back grazed his neck, and his hair was constantly in his eyes, although he didn't mind. He wasn't too keen on hair trends or fashions. Besides, Gabriella liked it and had let him know how sexy his tendrils in his face always looked. If she thought it was sexy, he'd keep it that way until his father would no doubt have him cut it for basketballs' sake.

He gently ran his hair through his fingers, getting frustrated as it fell right back into place. 'Jesus Christ, just stay! I feel like a girl having to sit here playing with my hair,' he thought to himself. He grabbed a bottle of gel he hardly ever used and squirted a tiny amount into his hand. He ran it through the top portion of his head and smiled as his layers stayed in place, dangerously teasing to fall back in his face, but lay tousled carelessly atop his head. 'Good enough' he thought. He settled on a grey t-shirt and black jeans. As he was getting his belt through the last loop of his pants, he heard the doorbell ring and headed for the door grabbing the cash off his dresser.

He tipped the delivery man, chuckling out a 'Thanks man' when the he told him to 'Check your fly man, the ladies don't like that.'

* * *

Gabriella had not spent too much time getting an outfit together. She figured it would be another date at the Bolton house, no need to get too dressed up. She wore black fitted lounge pants and a matching black hoodie. She had a white wife beater tank top underneath. She was having a good hair day and smiled as she fluffed it with her hands, making sure her side swept bangs fluttered in her eyes a little. She slipped on her favorite black flip flops and headed on foot to Troy's home. 

"Bye mom, be back later!" she happily announced into the living room as she remembered to grab the two Tupperware containers full of warm brownies. She smiled to herself on the walk over, knowing Troy would devour the brownies in mere minutes. She and her mom had baked an extra set for Mr. and Mrs. Bolton, who hardly ever got a morsel of brownie if Troy got to them first.

She rang the doorbell and her smile soon faded to a frown. Although Troy was only in a t-shirt and jeans, he looked freshly washed, he was even wearing a belt. Not only that, he looked devilishly good. She felt embarrassed as she went to take down her hoodie she had put up on the walk over.

Troy quickly noticed her frown, and he himself frowned back.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing- just um." her hand flew up to take snatch her hoodie down. "You look a lot nicer than me, I thought this was just a casual thing."

"It is." he replied, ushering her inside and helping take a hold of the brownies, smiling when he noticed they were still warm.

"Well, you look really good." she whispered, still put off that she was stranded in his home in her sweats outfit.

"Wait here just one second, okay?" he rushed up the stairs, Gabriella calling after him to slow down.

He returned in seconds, still wearing the grey t-shirt but having changed into a pair of red and white Eat High lounge pants.

He made exaggerated movements down the staircase swiveling his hips as Gabriella giggled.

"Better?"

She snorted lightly as he twirled twice in front of her, striking a mock fashion pose. He burst into laughter at his own silliness, adding;

"Yes, I'm lame and you love it."

"I do love it." she replied as she followed him down the hallway toward the den.

Gabriella stopped at the door. For the second time that evening her mouth dropped open. Troy had lit the candles so a dim glow off set the inside of the room, and he had a wonderful spread lain before her eyes. It was a huge feast of various Italian foods, and he'd even set out milk, juice, water, and diet soda not sure which one she'd want, so he'd simply put out a choice for her.

He watched her features as her shock melted into a large smile. He felt himself grinning back.

"Troy! This is so cute, are you kidding me?" she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck and holding him tight.

"Oh my gosh, I wish I'd brought my camera, this it too much!" Troy was beaming as he watched her happily bounce toward the table and situate herself on the couch. She looked like a little kid on Christmas morning, excited and wide eyed.

"I love you" he felt himself saying.

"I love you too. Very much."

Troy joined her on the couch and began pointing to the foods, although he was sure she didn't need the intro.

"Spaghetti and meatballs, salad, I got you ranch dressing. Um, there's chicken parmesan and I got a cheese pizza just in case you didn't feel like the other stuff."

"Troy, this looks amazing. I still can't believe you went through all this trouble."

She leaned forward, kissing his cheek. She let her mouth linger near his skin, as he turned his head searching her eyes and pressing his lips forward against hers. She parted her mouth gently, allowing him more access to her mouth as their kiss deepened. A loud moan escaped Troy's mouth. Gabriella lurched forward, laughing loud. Troy blushed, he hadn't meant to moan like that, it just sort of happened.

"It's been awhile!" he objected, tousling his hair as Gabriella shook against his shoulder, still laughing hard. He smiled, hearing her laughter- it had been a while since they'd been so at ease with one another. He hadn't forgotten the fighting before the accident, and still wanted her to open up. But, for now he wanted to dive into the food that had been calling his name and he didn't want to ruin the start of a perfect evening.

"Those are beautiful! Are we drinking tonight or something?" she asked, pointing toward the glasses.

"Nah, my mom lent them to me, do you like them?"

She nodded as she turned one over in the palm of her hands, studying the gemstones.

"These are great. Is it okay if I use it?"

"Sure, that's what they're there for."

She chose a can of diet coke and poured it into the glass. Troy had milk, and they giggled as they clinked their cups together.

"Thanks for all this Troy. I really needed this. I've missed hanging out with you."

"Your welcome. I've missed this too babe."

"Oh, shoot! What movie do you want to watch? You kind of have an idea of what I've got here, right?"

She nodded, replying that maybe they could watch the new Will Ferrell movie he'd got for Christmas. He set it in the tv, skipped forward to the main menu and pressed play.

* * *

Gabriella dug into her food, loving everything Troy had picked. She was surprised given her precise eating likes and dislikes. 

She reached forward for another slice of pizza, but stopped when she saw Troy rubbing his temples.

"Baby, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice full of concern.

"Nothing. My head just hurts a little."

She studied his face hard. The doctors had warned he may suffer from migraines simply from the sheer force of the blow in the weeks following his recovery.

"Do you want me to get you some medicine?"

"No. I'm gonna try to let this one pass."

She paused the movie, and reached over to open one of the water bottles he'd set out.

She offered it to him and he took a long swig.

"Are you sure Troy? I can go grab your meds, I know they gave you some painkillers for when this happens. Just half, please?" she was starting to worry at the grimace on his face.

"Yeah, okay." he mumbled.

She got up quickly rushing to his room. His medicine was inside his mirror in the bathroom. She checked to make sure she had the right prescription stopping in the kitchen to grab a knife to cut the pill in half. She found him laying back on the couch, his hand over his eyes.

She sat next to him and placed the pill on a napkin. She carefully cut it in half, offering him a piece.

"Gabi, don't look like that. It's going to go away, I promise." he assured her after he'd swallowed the medicine, noticing the tense expression across her small features.

Gabriella bit her bottom lip.

"Troy, it was really scary when those light beams hit you. I watched them fall on you."

He lay still, listening to the quivering in her voice, hoping she wouldn't cry. He'd understand if she did, but he didn't want her to shed anymore tears over the incident.

"I was so scared. You were bleeding, and I could see the gash. I didn't know what to do. All that training over the summer, and I froze. I couldn't do anything." she sighed heavily as his hand went up to gently rub her back.

"Babe, it's ok. You got someone to call 9-1-1. That was helping."

"Yeah, I guess. Do you remember anything before you blacked out?"

He shook his head. He burrowed his brow, searching for a small memory before his vision went black.

"I think-" he began

"I remember pushing you. I remember pushing you hard, and I felt so bad because you're so small and I knew I was pushing you with all my weight, but I had to. Did I hurt you?"

"No. It's kind of stupid. I thought you were pushing me because you were mad. I didn't know the lighting was falling. I guess I was caught up in my thoughts."

Troy continued rubbing small circles on her back, he could feel the medicine kicking in and was grateful that the pressure throbbing in his head was subsiding.

"Can I ask you something?" his eyes opening as the pain in his temples went away.

"Sure."

"What's been going on the past few weeks? I don't want to start an argument, but I know things aren't okay. You've been really on edge since we got back from break. I don't mean to pry, I just want to know if I can help-that is, if you want my help."

Gabriella no longer fought the urge to lie, or bite her tongue and answer that she was okay when she didn't feel that way. She had an awakening call when Troy was hurt, and she wasn't going to censor her feelings anymore. She wanted to be honest with him every chance she got. She took this as a moment to let him in, no matter how hard what she had to say would be for him to comprehend.

"I got into Stanford Troy. And- well, I think I'm going to go."

"You think, or you are?" he asked.

"I'm going."

She averted her eyes away. She knew what heading toward California meant. Troy had already been given his full ride scholarship to New Mexico state, and she'd been overjoyed for him. His scholarship meant tuition, room and board were all covered.

Troy sat up a little, his arm still wrapped around her small waist.

"Gabriella?" he whispered.

She took a moment to find his eyes in the candle-lit night.

"Yeah?"

He could see the tears forming in her eyes, clouding her vision. He knew she was fighting the urge to cry. He bore his orbs into hers, staring. He waited for the wetness in her eyes to subside as he let himself grin as wide as he had grinned before. Her vision cleared, and she smiled back.

"I am so insanely proud of you. You are not only beautiful, a great chef" he gestured toward the brownies on the table "but you are so smart, and you are mine. I don't know how I got so lucky. Have you been scared this whole time that I'd be mad about you getting in to Stanford?"

"Mmm hmm. I know I said I'd apply to ASU, and I did. I got in. But, I also applied to Stanford. I just don't think I can give that up."

"And you don't have to give it up. I wouldn't have it. You are going. Even if I have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you the whole way kicking and screaming.

She chuckled at this.

"I knew this might happen. I kind of prepared myself for you to get into some insanely great Ivy league school. But, there's something I want to ask you."

She waited for him to gather his thoughts.

"If your up for it, I want to try staying together in college. I don't want to break up just because I've got my scholarship and you are going to California. Do you think you'd want to try long distance? I know I could fly out during my breaks, and you'd still come home for holidays and I'd be here, waiting for you. I don't want anyone else Gabi. I know I can't force you to stay in a relationship when you're leaving Albuquerque. I won't force you to do anything. I just hope your not thinking college means an automatic break up. I want you forever, if you'll have me."

This time she couldn't blink back the tears and they rolled fast down her cheeks, crashing onto her sweatshirt. Troy didn't need to ask if she'd try long distance. Of course she would. Her life had changed for the better upon meeting him. She now possessed a confidence and spirit about her that had always been there, but no one had ever given her the time of day at her old schools to let that side of her shine through. Meeting Troy had allowed her to show her true, fun, light hearted, singing, dancing, freaky genius ways and she was not going to watch that fade away for anything-not even college.

"You don't have to ask Troy. I want you too, forever."

She leaned down to hug him, feeling his arms grip her tight. He had been nervous that she wouldn't want the pressures of a relationship upon starting at another new school. He knew it had been foolish to think she'd want to break up, but a small part of him had been scared. His mind finally felt at ease. This had been a looming conversation he knew they'd eventually have to discuss, and he was elated at their newest development. There would be no final goodbyes between the two of them. He knew he'd visit the first chance he could. Gabriella and surfing all in one? He couldn't wait.

"Are you thinking about surfing?" she asked, grinning as he looked up in slight shock.

"You know me too well."

"I already checked it out. Santa Cruz is only forty minutes away."

"You're perfect, did you know that?"

She responded by leaning into him, covering his lips with hers. His hands roamed up to her sides, pulling her on top of him. She drew her hand up, caressing his face and cheeks before tangling her hands in his hair. It had looked so sexy when she'd arrived earlier, and she'd been wanting to run her hands through it since she'd laid eyes on him that evening. She grinned, pleased that he responded back to her touch by wrapping one hand around the back of her neck, pushing her head forward so her mouth mashed against his further. She felt the bumpy scar against the left side of his head. She pulled back.

"Does that hurt?"

"Nope" he quickly whispered, needing to feel her again, not wanting their lips to be apart any longer.

* * *

Time passed far too quickly as Gabriella looked over at the television clock. 12:35am. She needed to head home. Troy was on top of her, shirtless, and kissing down her collarbone. She fought the urge to throw all inhibitions to the wind and gently placed her hands on his muscular chest. 

"Troy, it's getting late, I've got to go home. Your parents will be back soon. I doubt they'd appreciate finding us here shirtless."

Troy continued kissing her neck, letting his tongue trace a circle against the smooth skin as he felt her chest moving faster underneath him as her breathing quickened. He smirked knowing he was making it harder for her to head home.

"Okay, okay. You're right."

Troy laughed as he pointed at the candles which had burned down to small nubs.

"My mom would have killed me if another fire started." he chuckled as he blew out the flame.

Gabriella gathered her tank top and sweatshirt from the floor. She sat up, confused as she searched for her bra.

"Oh, here." Troy rummaged within the seat cushions, grasping a hold of the elastic band and extracting a purple lacy bra. He knelt in front of her placing a kiss between the two lovely mounds. She bent forward kissing his forehead lightly. Their motions were familiar and loving.

"All right, got to put on some jeans and I'll walk you home."

* * *

The two finally parted after a lengthy goodnight kiss. It always started off innocent enough but soon fell into their usual routine of Gabriella's back being pushed against the front door and Troy positioned in front of her, both hands on the door, moving his head from side to side every few moments as he continued kissing her. He brushed his hand across her cheek, savoring the last touch of her lips for the evening. 

"Goodnight baby."

"Goodnight. Thank your mom for the brownies for me?"

She nodded, turning around to insert the key into the lock. She couldn't help but watch after Troy as he walked back toward his home.

Although they didn't act out any of the fantasies they'd coyly texted to one another, Gabriella left the Bolton residence that evening thoroughly satisfied, giggling to herself as she skimmed over Troy's disheveled hair. She adjusted her top once more and tightened her ponytail before entering her home.


	10. Singing A New Tune

_**Dedication**__: For late night "dork" conversations with Ellie._

Chad had tried everything to get Taylor's attention both during and outside of school. He'd sent a bouquet of her favorite flowers (daisies) to her home. They'd casually been talking since Troy had been released from the hospital. The gang all continued hanging out, but Chad had noticed Taylor's absence from the cafeteria at least twice a week. He knew she was studying for the decathlon, but he couldn't quiet shake the feeling that she was also avoiding him. The break up had been so sudden, no real reasons had been provided, and it only showcased to him how much he truly missed her once she was out of his life.

'Figures you wouldn't know what you had until it's gone' he thought to himself as he stared at the back of Taylor's head during their homeroom. He felt a piece of paper graze his arm. He unfolded it, frowning as he read the note scribbled across.

'Dude, stop staring. It's creepy.'

He looked over and scowled at Troy who was leisurely fussing with his hair as Miss Darbus droned on and on. Chad replied, tossing the note so it hit Troy square between the eyes.

'Yeah, and you need a haircut. Stfu'

Troy laughed out loud, quickly covering his mouth exaggerating a cough. Miss Darbus reeled, glaring in his direction as he ducked his head down.

'Fair enough. Just talk to her.'

He threw the note back, and saw Chad nod his head in agreement.

'Yeah, yeah bro, I hear you loud and clear.' he was thinking. It wasn't easy trying to see eye to eye with someone as stubborn as Taylor. He remembered one of her 'reasons' had been a vague reference to her studies. She had already applied and been accepted to more than half the schools she sent applications to. She had an assortment of top schools across the nation that she could chose from. Like Troy, Chad had received a scholarship to ASU. He'd pushed himself to maintain a 3.3 gpa (something he had only Taylor to thank, for she had pushed him to start attending classes on a regular basis. His absences were what was dragging his grades down. If he attended, he could easily grasp the work).

Taylor could feel his eyes on her, and she shifted uneasily, hoping the movement would divert his eyes to the board, the windows- anywhere else but upon her. She tried and failed to move his eyes. She bent over, picking up a thick blue marker from her pencil case. In bold letters she jotted down a note spanning the entire width of her paper. She held it up behind her, knowing Chad would read it.

'Stop Looking At Me!'

Troy snorted loudly as he saw the note. Miss Darbus was in his face instantly.

"Detention! One hour, after school, Bolton."

His blue eyes looked up in horror. How had he just earned a one hour detention in the span of under sixty seconds? He glanced back at Gabriella. She shrugged her shoulders, not sure how Miss Darbus had been so swift in delivering a punishment either.

He sighed heavily at the pink slip in his hand. Chad looked back at him grinning. Served him right for laughing at his very serious situation. Troy casually flipped him the finger before staring back at the board, not willing to test Miss Darbus' patience further.

* * *

"Taylor! Wait up!"

She tried quickening her pace, knowing it was the curly haired boy she had painstakingly been avoiding at all costs.

"Taylor!"

She could hear his footsteps quickly approaching. She rolled her eyes, turning around to face him.

"Yeah?" she asked sweetly, deflecting all negativity from her voice.

He flinched, knowing she was faking it. That tone was as fake as Sharpay's tan.

"Hey, uh. Did you like the flowers?"

"They were beautiful. Daisies are my favorite."

"Yeah, I know." he sheepishly replied.

"Look, I don't want to waste your time, but I needed to tell you something. You didn't give me much of a chance. You always felt I was this bumbling jock buffoon. I am willing to work my ass off, as long as it takes proving to you every day that I'm so much more, that I genuinely like you, and that I can't get you out of my mind. I'm sorry it took us breaking up for me to say this. My heart is pretty wrapped up in you, but I think you know that."

"Here." he said, shoving a small box into her hands.

Taylor was at a loss for words. What Chad had said was true. She had written him off as a dumb jock from the beginning. She'd never truly given him a fair chance to be with her. Her fingers skimmed across the box, gently opening it's top to reveal the contents.

"Oh Chad.." she whispered as she gingerly lifted the gold chain up. It was delicately thin, so she was gentle with her movements. It had an amethyst pendant, her birthstone dangling from the end.

She looked up at him, smiling.

"Chad. Thank you so much."

"Well, your birthday is coming up, so… Don't feel pressured to get back with me just because of this. I already had this ordered and want you to have it. You deserve it."

She leaned toward his face, kissing him softly on the cheek.

"I'm not totally opposed to getting back together. I've just been busy."

"So what are my chances? You know, percentage-wise that you might go back out with me?" he asked coyly, feeling her wall beginning to come down.

"Seventy-five percent"

"Seventy-five is good. It's better than fifty, not quiet a hundred, but it's doable. I'll take it." He flashed a smile at her once more before heading off to his next class.

Taylor watched him until he rounded a corner. Not a second after he'd left she was bounding down the hallways, running toward Gabriella's locker.

"Gabriella!!!" she yelled. She couldn't wait to show her friend the beautiful necklace.

* * *

Sharpay looked up at the list, beaming triumphantly. There her name was, printed in bold letters across the top of the cast list.

Glinda/Galinda: Sharpay Evans

She had successfully secured a lead role in the second to last East high musical, "Wicked" There were two spring musicals, and she had been practicing for months in advance. She had auditioned with a stirring rendition of "On My Own" from Les Miserable's. Even Miss Darbus had commented that the song left her feeling haunted.

Sharpay had changed tenfold since the accident. In the following weeks, she still flashed her good looks and expensive wardrobe around the campus. But, gone was the brazen attitude and crudeness towards others. She didn't feel the inkling to spew back vile comments when she disagreed with someone's opinion or choice of outfit. Sharpay would never be 'tamed' but she was learning to control her outbursts and genuinely be happy for others.

She stood a few moments longer, happily twirling her hair around her finger before walking off. She bumped into Zeke in the hallway. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder nuzzling her into his chest.

"There's my good witch! And you were worried you wouldn't get the lead." he was happy that Sharpay would not leave East High without having played the lead in a play one more time.

"Thanks Z" she cooed, not able to contain her wide grin. They walked down the hallway together, Sharpay rambling on about the wardrobe and how she was going to have custom tiara's made- she would never dare wear a hot glued creation from the drama department.

She caught sight of Gabriella shoving textbooks into her backpack. She looked up at Zeke.

"Hey, I'll meet you in the cafeteria, I just want to stop to chat with Gabriella for a sec."

Zeke raised an eyebrow.

"Oh stop it, I'm inviting her to the barbeque I was telling you about. Now go." she playfully barked, blowing him a kiss.

"Gabriella?"

She heard the familiar prissy voice calling out her name, and she stopped her movements. She looked up half confused, half taken aback.

"Uh, yeah Sharpay?" she tested, standing from her crouched position.

"If you don't have plans this Saturday I'd like to invite you over to me and Rye's place for a barbeque."

"What's the celebration?"

"The beginning of spring. It's going to be fabulous. Daddy is getting a band and everything! It starts at 6pm, and everyone is welcome to spend the night. Girls in my bedroom, boys in Rye's."

Gabriella mulled it over in her mind. She hadn't yet spoken with Troy to see if he'd planned something for the weekend. She glanced back at Sharpay, her face looked content and soft- not the usual twisted frowns and exaggerated grimaces she exhibited toward others. Although apprehensive, she couldn't help but feel that she was honestly inviting her to a party, as a friend with no strings attached. She smiled at her, pleased to receive a smile back from Sharpay.

"It sounds cool. I just need to ask Troy-"

"Ask Troy what?" he pretended to be in mock-frustration, playfully throwing his hands in the air as if exasperated by her demands as he made his way toward the two girls.

She giggled, poking him in the ribs.

"Hey. Sharpay was inviting me to her spring barbeque this Saturday."

"Oh was she?" he gave Sharpay a look, testing the waters to see how genuine of an invite this was. He had not forgotten their promise and would be off in a flash to Principal Matsui if she was so quick to renege on her end of the deal.

"Yes, I was Troy. It's at 6pm. It can be a sleepover too if you guys want."

"Yeah, girls with Sharpay, boys in Ryan's room." Gabriella pitched in, as she resumed stuffing textbooks into her bag.

"Well, I haven't even officially been invited so I don't know. I might just have to schedule a date with my Playstation 3 again. It sure gives this one a run for her money" he joked, gesturing in Gabriella's direction. She rolled her eyes.

"You know you're invited Bolton. So, what do you guys say?"

Troy and Gabriella looked at one another smiling as they silently communicated to one another. They turned, nodding their heads up and down in unison at Sharpay.

"Sounds cool. We're in." Troy responded, flipping his hair out of his eyes.

Sharpay smiled, promising to text or call them with any other details and reminding them to simply pack a swimsuit and pj's if they planned on spending the night. She needed to catch up with Zeke. She had far too many costume ideas running around in her head and was anxious to go over them.

"By the way, congrats on the lead." Gabriella called after her.

"Thank you! See you guys." She sashayed past the underclassmen, her heels clicking loudly as she made her way down the corridor.

"You know she only got that part because you decided not to audition for the spring show."

"Troy! That's mean, she deserved it. I know she worked hard on that audition. Besides, I've really got to buckle down and get serious about this decathlon meeting coming up. We really want to make it to state this year. It'd be like an early graduation present."

"I'm kidding babe, I'm glad we don't have a spring play to worry with. I mean, 'Twinkle Towne' was amazing, but I like having you to myself. He wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her closer, planting a kiss on her neck.

She let out a sigh. If she had no restraint, she'd attack him with kisses right there in front of everyone. She turned toward him so they were face to face. She pointed up at his loose strands dangling in his eyes.

"This" she said, brushing a few strands out of the way "is getting dangerous. You're almost too sexy for your own good." she smirked.

"Now I know the secret weapon to use!" he exclaimed, shaking his head so more hair fell into his eyes. He cocked his head to the side, giving her an exaggerated wink, clicking his tongue as he did so.

She leaned against her locker, holding her stomach as she laughed.

"My boyfriend is a dork."

"You do know what the true definition of a dork means, right?"

This set off another fit of giggles from Gabriella. Her sides ached, as Troy smiled. Her laughter was like music to his ears.

At that moment Taylor came rushing down the hallway, yelling Gabriella's name. She stopped laughing long enough to look past Troy at her friend frantically gaining speed as she approached.

"Hey Tay, what's going on, I-" Gabriella began.

"Look what Chad gave me!" she interrupted, dangling the necklace in front of her eyes. Troy smiled, he already knew Chad had purchased the necklace months ago for Taylor- he'd been there when he bought it.

"Ohh!" Gabriella cooed, fondling the purple pendant.

"Very nice!" Troy pitched in.

Taylor narrowed her eyes.

"You knew about this, didn't you?"

Troy backed up, putting his hands out in front of him.

"Fess up, Bolton."

"Hey! I'm an innocent bystander!"

"Gabriella, we have to go to the bathroom stat!"

Troy shook his head, girls' bathrooms were like portals into an open forum of sorts. He'd never understand the allure of standing around the stalls shooting the breeze with friends.

Gabriella glanced over at Troy, it was lunch period and they usually ate together.

"Go, go. Girl time calls." he waved his hands.

Gabriella grinned as he threw an arm around her, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

"Later babe. See ya Tay!"

The girls were already turned around, walking arm in arm talking in excited low whispers about the jewelry and it's meaning.

* * *

Troy got home that afternoon and dropped his book bag on the ground. He went over to the fridge, rummaging around for food. He wasn't even hungry, but glanced up at the counter. He saw the Tupperware filled with Montez brownies. 'Jackpot' he thought to himself as he helped himself to three large squares.

He quickly remembered to flip on a dvd. He was starting to get more into the games, actually paying attention to the technique in which the players approached their seemingly effortless jump shots.

He counted the steps they took in his head.

"One, two, crossover, step, nothing but net." he mumbled to himself as he chewed on the rich goodness. He nonchalantly grabbed his phone, typing in a text to Gabriella.

'These brownies are bomb even three days later.'

He eased back onto the couch, polishing off his brownies. He looked over the couch lazily at the Tupperware. He contemplated grabbing a few more, but he was exhausted from the day. He'd almost earned a second detention when Miss Darbus came in to check on the daily crew of riff raffs and caught Troy, his head bobbing up and down, as he teetered upon napping.

He eased himself down onto the pillows, propping one under his head.

"One, two, crossover…" Troy closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

He awoke an hour and a half later, his mother gently rousing him.

"Troy, go upstairs and get some sleep."

He didn't argue, dragging himself up the stairs and flopping onto his bed where he regained his slumber.

It was almost 8pm when he finally awoke, stretching his limbs and yawning noisily. He grabbed his phone off the nightstand, checking through the many missed calls and text messages.

Gabriella had messaged a few times, he replied back that he'd been napping and sorry for missing her messages. There was one from Jason asking a random question that left Troy puzzled. The last one was from Chad,

'Enjoy detention? That's what you get for messin' with me! C u 2morrow."


	11. BBQ at the Mansion

Saturday finally rolled around. The wildcats had a particularly slow week full of pop quizzes in preparation for the first round of midterms and tests. Between Chad and Troy they each dodged the prospect of three separate detentions, all from Miss Darbus varying from different degrees of scolding including a warning about cursing- even if they had been mouthed silently to one another.

Gabriella woke up that morning rested and excited for a day of fun with all her friends. Although she knew Sharpay was infamous for finding the most trivial of things to be a cause for celebration her latest plan of celebrating the start of spring was actually a great idea. This spring barbeque had most of the school a-buzz in anticipation for both the food (which was of course catered by Ortega's the best barbeque spot in town) and the mystery band that Sharpay and Ryan's dad was surprising the wildcat gang with later that evening. Even the Evans twins were left in the dark about the guest performer.

"I hope it's LL Cool J" Chad had mused.

"I would die if it were Jo-Jo" beamed Taylor.

"I'd love to see Rhianna dude. She's so-" Troy stopped himself before glancing over at Gabriella, "she's so talented. Very talented indeed."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and replied,  
"Uh huh. I'll be happy with whomever shows up. I've never been to a concert."

Everyone's eyes widened in unison. Chad choked on his Gatorade.

"What? Gabi! Are you serious? Never been to a concert? You must live under a rock." Chad exclaimed.

Gabriella blushed. She hadn't known it would be so abnormal for a seventeen year old to never have attended a concert.

"Babe, why didn't you ever tell me that? I would have totally taken you to that Fall Out Boy show I went to last month."

Chad shot Troy a glare. "Thanks dude, glad to know I get kicked to the curb. Where's your loyalty?"

Troy laughed, "Dude, that's the second Fall Out Boy show we've been to. You would have survived."

Chad pouted, Taylor lightly patting his knee to which he looked up in surprise. She quickly removed her hand from his knee concentrating on the tiles on the floor.

"Well, maybe this summer we can go to a show? All of us together. I'd really like that. I've just never stayed anywhere long enough to even know where the concert arenas were before we were packing up to move again."

"You got it. One summer concert, to begin the start of many more." Troy nuzzled his head against her hair, kissing her ear with a loud smack that made her giggle.

* * *

Gabriella grabbed her cell phone quickly texting Taylor that she'd be over to her house in an hour after she'd cleaned up her room and showered. She had packed last night for her first ever overnight stay at the Evan's mansion. Troy and the rest of the wildcat gang had actually spent the night there before when they were younger and the Evans twins would celebrate their birthday with elaborate themed parties that went well into the evening, continuing the next morning when they all woke up. Gabriella found herself anxious and a bit nervous to be in such close proximity of Sharpay. After their tumultuous summer together at Lava Springs, they had almost come to blows one evening near the poolside. Troy had intervened long enough for Gabriella to scold him before quitting her job. She thought back to that evening, tears streaming down her face as Troy blinked back his own, pleading with her to not leave. She shook off the feeling, resolving that she and Sharpay could end the year amicably, especially since Sharpay had finally seemed to move on and had begun seeing Zeke after he'd wooed her over a homemade dinner of baked ziti and chocolate soufflé.

Her phone rang as she piled her hair on top of her head into a bun to grab a quick shower.

"Hello?"

"Morning babe." Troy's sleepy voice replied.

"Morning."

"What are you doing?"

"Getting ready to take a shower."

"Ohh, sexy!" he hoarsely chuckled.

"Extremely. When are you heading over to Taylor's?"

"3 o'clock on the dot."

"All right slick. Well, I'm going to go hop in the shower. I'll see you later this afternoon."

"Think of me while you're in there!"

"If you're lucky." she smirked, imagining the cute pout he was surely exhibiting.

"See ya."

"Bye."

* * *

Gabriella went through her bags once more after her shower before making her way toward Taylor's house. She smiled devilishly as she extracted the lilac colored Billabong two piece with white flowers all over. The bottoms tied at the sides, as well as a tie-back for the top. She grinned knowing Troy would fuss with the strings, declaring they were merely mocking him in not being able to access the goods that lay underneath them. She threw in a bottle of shampoo and her fuzzy cheetah print slippers before zipping her duffle bag and heading downstairs.

"You all ready?"

"Mmhm. I left the address and number to the Evan's house on your desk."

"Have a good time tonight. What's this party for again?"

"The beginning of spring!"

"Oh, that's right. Must be nice partying your way into the spring. Be safe, and give the Evans these." she handed Gabriella a large tub of brownies. Gabriella grinned knowing Ryan would absolutely die over the sight of the chocolaty confections.

"Thanks mom. See you tomorrow." Gabriella leaned over, kissing her mom lightly on the cheek as she wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Love you!" she called out as Gabriella headed out the front door.

"Love you too mom!"

Gabriella walked slowly, enjoying her morning stroll and breathing in the fresh smell of spring.

* * *

Sharpay fussed with a batch of helium balloons, trying feebly to tie a knot at the end of them. She growled in frustration and bellowed,

"Daddy!!!!"

Her father looked over at his young daughter, smiling as he saw the frown outlining her face as she held the balloons at her side. He came over and helped anchor them down with a weight, before tying them to the top of the iron wrought fence. Sharpay smiled brightly.

"Fabulous. Thanks daddy."

Ryan was near the poolside, arranging tiki lights around the waters edge. His father came over, adjusting his hat to the front before clapping a hand on his back.

"Nice work son! These look nice!"

The wait staff and event planners were bustling around decorating the decadent backyard in streamers, banners, and various party décor. A roped off area in the corner held flower shaped piñatas filled with assorted Godiva chocolates, the buffet table was being set up- the smell of ribs and hamburgers permeating the air, and the pool had large green and blue blow up chairs and recliners floating atop the blue surface. Off to the right of the pool a large stage had been constructed. Lighting and strobe lights hung all around, and a large black curtain hung in front, obstructing the audience from what lay behind. Sharpay placed her hands on her hips as she eyed the stage. Her curiosity was getting to the best of her.

"Daddy, who's playing tonight?" she asked sweetly.

"Sweetheart, you know it's a surprise. You and all your friends only have a few more hours until the band is on stage."

"Is it a band or a solo act?"

"A solo act."

"Boy or girl?"

"I'm not telling. I've already said enough. You'll just have to be patient."

Patient was not a word frequently used in Sharpay's vocabulary, but she reluctantly stopped her pestering and waltzed over to the area Zeke had been put in charge of. She approved lovingly of his hard work setting up the large area filled with imported sand from Puerto Rico spanning an entire half of the back lawn. Her father had painstakingly set up a volleyball net, and Zeke was now making sure the sand was leveled out and placing freshly unwrapped volleyballs under the net in a neat row. He glanced back at Sharpay as he bent over, he was on cloud nine having finally asked her to be his girlfriend a week ago, to which she had said yes.

"You like?" he asked, stepping away admiring his work.

"It looks great! Do you think everyone will like the party?"

"Sharpay, you have once again overdone yourself and provided the coolest pad and great backdrop to the start of our last spring together at East high. This party's going to be sick."

She smiled. She and Ryan had been losing sleep in their planning for the party. Securing Ortega's had not been so easy, and the sand got stuck in customs threatening to spoil the entire beach volleyball idea completely.

"I've got to head home for a little while to shower and get changed, but I'll be back here at 5." He kissed her forehead and took off in a light jog toward the driveway.

Ryan approached Sharpay.

"Looks like we did it!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, this is pretty great, huh Rye?"

"I just can't believe we pulled it off."

"We're Evans Rye- we always manage to pull things off." she laughed.

"Are you going to get ready? The party starts in about two hours."

"Oh no worries, Damien is coming over to help with my wardrobe and hair and make up."

"Damien is styling you for the party?"

"Oh Rye, don't you know who I am by now?" she shook her head as they headed inside.

* * *

"C'mon Taylor!" Gabriella yelled, pulling Taylor toward her bedroom door.

"But I just want to grab one more shirt!"

"You already packed four! We're only going to be there for a few hours, c'mon!"

Taylor sighed, picking up her bag as she and Gabriella bounded down the stairs and out the front door briefly waving goodbye to her parents as they jogged toward the white truck waiting outside.

Troy got out of the car as he saw the girls run out of the house, helping them lug their bags onto the flat bed. He greeted Gabriella with a peck on the lips and went to hug Taylor. Chad slid out of the passenger side, so the girls could climb into the back seats.

"Everyone settled, seat belts on?"

"Yes, dad." Taylor joked.

The four friends blasted the radio singing loudly to every song they heard. Troy and Chad made exaggerated arm movements out the windows as they sang along with their favorite song of the moment.

"I don't hear nothin' but ladies callin'  
I'm tryin' to give one of them all this  
But they keep comin' from wall to wall"

Gabriella fussed with her hair. The wind was whipping it around lightly. She grabbed a handful in her hand holding it to the side as she kept pace with the beat of the song bobbing her head up and down. Troy looked in his rearview mirror, smiling at her brightly. She grinned back and gave him a wink. All she could think was how great this party was going to be.

* * *

They arrived in record time at the Evan's mansion. Many cars were already parked by the valet on duty. Troy's eyes widened at the site.

"Wow, valet? I thought this was just a pool party."

"Is anything ever just simple and understated with the Evans family?" Chad asked.

Troy handed his keys over to the parking attendant, thanking him as he threw he and Gabriella's bag over his shoulder and intertwined fingers with her with his free hand. Chad carried he and Taylors' bags in both arms grimacing at the weight of hers.

"Do you have bricks in here?" he complained.

"Not the way to go about getting me back Danforth." she bluntly replied.

He nodded silently, hoisting the bag onto his shoulder with a loud grunt.

They got to the front door and were met by Sharpays mother. She greeted them each by name, inviting them inside instructing the boys toward one den to get changed and leave their bags, and the girls to use another den to slip into their suits and leave their belongings as well.

Chad and Troy were changed rather quickly. They had brought swim trunks and flip flops, and stood in the foyer waiting for the girls to join them.

Gabriella and Taylor frantically discarded their street clothes for the skimpy suits they had recently purchased.

"Gabriella! You look-wow. Troy's going to flip."

"You were the one that told me to buy this one!"

"Yeah, but it looked… less revealing in the store."

"Oh my god, does this look trashy? Is it too much? I brought a one piece just in case."

"Don't you dare change out of that! You look hot! Troy just might follow you around with a towel all night."

Gabriella looked down at the bare flesh. She usually wore tankinis and one pieces, but the past summer spent donning a red life guard suit had left her unable to stand the idea of one pieces any longer. She layered a few long strands of gold leaf necklaces atop her "T" necklace Troy had given her. She ran her fingers through her hair, using a small clip to secure a few tendrils in the back of her hair.

"Don't worry, I brought this" she declared, extracting a matching sarong, tying it low across her hips.

"You can't talk Tay, look at you! That suit is rockin'!" Gabriella teased.

Taylor wore a one piece black suit with strategic cut outs at both sides and a plunging cut in front that dipped between her cleavage.

"You ready to knock these boys dead?" she giggled, securing her hair with a headband and grabbing their towels.

Gabriella nodded, sliding in her flip flops and heading back toward the hallway.

* * *

Troy and Chad had been teasing one another about who could produce the bigger splash with their cannonballs, when Troy felt his throat clamp up as his eyes were met with the sight of his girlfriend sensually sauntering (okay, she wasn't sauntering but in his mind it looked like a sexy slither she was performing) toward him. Her taut stomach was flat as a board and her belly button ring sparkled in the light, teasing him. He let his eyes travel up over her chest, before he locked eyes with hers. The look on his face was priceless Gabriella thought to herself. It was mixture of desire and shock all wrapped into one. His mouth had not closed since she'd made her way toward him. Chad was just as dumbfounded, shuffling nervously as the girls approached.

"Wow…" was all Troy could muster up to say before engulfing Gabriella in his arms. He spun her around once, taking her in.

"Yeah. Wow wow wow." he repeated.

"C'mon boys" Taylor laughed, rolling her eyes as the girls walked in front of them teasing them further with the new angle the boys had for their viewing pleasure.

The four friends could feel the loud base pulsating from the music as they approached the back French doors. They stood in awe as they stepped out in the backyard. Troy and Chad high-fived each other as they began to rock their heads to the beat of the music blaring over the speakers.

"This is off the hook!" Troy yelled over the music, bringing his hand down to Gabriella's waist, moving her closer as she gently swayed her hips against him.

They made their way down the stairs and into the yard. Many of their friends were already in the pool floating around in the chairs and spread across the lawn eating and mingling.

"No way! A volleyball net with real sand? Sweet!" Chad declared, pointing over to the side of the lawn covered in sand.

Ryan spotted his friends from the crowd and waved. He jogged over to them, greeting with hand shakes and hugs all around.

"Man, this party is amazing. What a way to start spring!" Troy announced.

"Thanks! Shar and I have been planning for awhile. I'm glad it's going off without a hitch. You guys should eat some food! Ortega's is catering-"

Troy and Chad left their post immediately, rushing to the buffet table. They fought momentarily over a plate they had both grabbed at before Troy let Chad have it, quickly getting his own and hungrily staring at the large mound of ribs that lay before him, nudging Chad to move over with his shoulder.

Ryan quickly pointed out the various spots in the backyard before telling the girls to enjoy themselves and that he'd catch up with them later.

"Oh, before I forget. These are for you."

Ryan's eyes gleamed- just as she suspected they would when he caught sight of the brownies.

"Are these…"

"Yep!" Gabriella giggled as he pried open the container, deeply breathing in the scent.

"Thanks Gabi! I'm just going to put these inside!" Ryan raced off toward the house.

Gabriella laughed as she approached the buffet table. Troy was munching on a rib as he placed a hamburger atop his already crowded plate.

"Hungry wildcat?"

"You don't even know Gabi, Ortega's is insanely good food."

Gabriella nodded, she had been to Ortega's once and been quiet surprised that she'd polished off an entire half rack of ribs by herself.

She picked up a plate and selected various fruits and veggies before choosing two ribs. She figured there would be another visit to the buffet table throughout the night and wanted to start off easy on the food.

They found a spot next to Jason at one of the picnic tables set up, who greeted them with a muffled hello as he finished a hot dog. Kelsi sat next to him, motioning her friends over as they made their way toward the table. Everyone dug into their food, Chad moving his head side to side to the music as he happily noshed on the ribs.

"Hey guys!" Sharpay shouted over the music as she approached their table. She was wearing a blindingly bright magenta sequined bikini top with a short satin-looking black sarong with the letters "SE" embossed at the hip in pink rhinestones. Her long blond hair hair was arranged in flowing waves cascading over her shoulders. She had a pink flower behind her ear and body glitter sparkled off her arms and chest.

Troy squinted at her, the sequin reflecting in his eyes.

"Hey Shar! This party is amazing. Thanks for inviting us!"

"I'm glad you all made it! We've definitely got to play each other in a big volleyball match later on."

"You're on Evans." Chad playfully challenged.

"Hey Gabi, Hi Taylor!" Sharpay waved. The girls waved back exchanging compliments on one another's swimsuits and hairstyles.

"This music is so loud!" Sharpay yelled throwing her hands up before waving one last time at the group and heading back over to her table with her three best friends where they resumed grooming one another and gossiping.

"They look like monkeys when they do that!" Chad laughed as he pointed at a blond girl fussing with Sharpays flower making sure it stayed securely tucked behind her ear.

Troy quickly swallowed the last bit of ribs, not quiet full, but anxious to get into the water. He'd had his eye on the diving board since they'd arrived.

"Ready for a swim guys?" he grinned.

"Sure!"

Quickly discarding of their plates into the trash, they slipped out of their flip flops as they approached the side of the pool. Troy made his way over to the diving board. He watched as Gabriella untied her sarong. Instinctively, he wanted to rush back to her side and cover her up. It should be criminal to look so good in public he thought to himself. He watched as she double knotted the sides of her bottoms. 'Damn, no underwater tricks' he chuckled.

Chad came up behind him quickly shoving his shoulders and cackling as his friend's arms flailed wildly as he hit the water.

"What team!?!?" he yelled.

"Wildcats!" various people in and around the pool hooted as he got a running start, tucked his knees and leapt forward, producing a towering splash that soaked everyone.

Troy dove over and quickly attacked his friend, holding him under the water by his bushy hair.

"Now say uncle!" he laughed.

Gabriella eased herself into the water as did Taylor. She stayed in the shallow end with her since Gabriella knew her friend was still a little tepid about wading in the water past her waist. They chatted with one another and Kelsi floated over to them on a recliner joining the conversation.

"Gabriella watched the crowd as people began to huddle around the stage. Somewhere over the loud speakers Sharpay's father's voice boomed across the yard.

"Wildcats, come to the stage! The evening's special performance will begin in five minutes. You don't want to miss this!"

Gabriella and Taylor squealed loudly as they waded toward the pool's edge.

Gabriela felt a pair of hands firmly grasp at her sides as she was pulled back toward the deep end. She turned around, wrapping her legs around Troy as he kept the two afloat.

"Hey sexy" he whispered, kissing her softly.

Her legs tightened around his waist as he eased them further into the water.

"You having a good time?" he asked.

Gabriella nodded happily, a grin spread wide across her face. She leaned forward, capturing his lips as they engaged in a passionate kiss, allowing their tongues to lightly caress against one another. She felt Troy's fingers nonchalantly playing with the strings at the sides of her bottoms. She grinned knowing he was disappointed at the double knots she had secured earlier.

"Aw, you're no fun." he moaned as she pulled back, staring deep into his eyes.

"We don't want to miss this act, I have a feeling Mr. Evan's has something big up his sleeve."

"Then let's go Montez." he teased, floating back over to the shallow end, waiting for her to unhook her legs and stand before grasping her hand as they exited the pool. Troy handed her the beach towel she'd brought before shaking out his hair splashing her with water causing her to shiver at the cold drops that splattered across her body.  
She wrung out her hair onto the grass before re-tying her sarong around her waist. Troy slicked his hair back with his hands and knotted his towel around his waist as they shuffled over to the stage to join the large crowd that had formed. Sharpay and Ryan were onstage in front of the black curtain, their father walking up the side stairs to join them, mic in hand.

"Welcome to the beginning of spring barbeque!"

His announcement was met with shrieks and cheers and the crowd hooted and hollered.

"I'd like to say a special thank you to my lovely kids- Sharpay and Ryan for their hard work and planning for this party. Let's give them a round of applause."

Everyone clapped, whooping it up again.

"My surprise to you wildcats this evening is an amazing performer I had the pleasure of meeting at my company's retreat this past summer. The proud recipient of two MTV Video Music Awards, three billboard Music Awards, and nominated this year for four Grammy Awards…"

Gabriella heard Troy gasp as his hand flew over his mouth muffling his shrill cry. Sharpay and Ryan cowered back onstage grabbing a hold of each other as they jumped up and down excitedly, Taylor's eyes widened as she screamed and Chad began to shout "No way!!!!" over and over as the crowd erupted in cheers as the black curtain dropped.


	12. Insomniacs

_**Dedication**__: For Dee who can always stand under my umbrella, ella, ella._

Troy did not remove his hand from over his mouth during the entire first song. Gabriella eyed him, laughing hysterically at the lucid stare in his eyes. Had he died and gone to heaven? How was this goddess before him, sashaying and gyrating across the stage? Had he seriously just screamed like a little girl at Disneyland? He'd forgotten his name and didn't really register his surroundings until he felt Gabriella's slim hand ease over his as it gently released the hand he had firmly cupped over his mouth. His hand was shaking, but she lightly brushed her lips against the back of his palm, smiling sweetly at him.

"I can't believe she's here!" he sighed.

The crowd roared loudly as the second song started. Immediately everyone caught on the familiar rift, dancing with their hands in the hair and singing along with the chorus.

"When the sun shines, we'll shine together  
Told you I'll be here forever  
Said I'll always be a friend  
Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end  
Now that it's raining more than ever  
Know that we'll still have each other  
You can stand under my umbrella"

Troy began to come down off his high, wanting to remember this evening, and also thinking back on how Gabriella had never been to a concert. He slid his arms around her stomach, moving to the music as she grinded back against him loudly singing the words across to Taylor who was also grinning from ear to ear and serenading Gabriella.

Gabriella reached back sliding her arms around Troy's neck as he nestled in closer, running his hands along her hips. He kissed her shoulder, mesmerized by the two beauties- the most important whom was wrapped up in his arms. The other- his fantasy dream girl was onstage winking at the crowd as she stomped across the stage in her leather knee-high boots.

Chad pumped Troy on the back,

"Dude, this is amazing! Best party of our entire high school career!"

Troy extended his hand out to pump fists with Chad as they continued dancing with the girls.

Sharpay was in utter disbelief. She was standing off to the side of the stage with her father and brother. She threw her arms around her father's neck as he playfully swung her around.

"Thank you daddy!" she squealed.

"Don't thank me just yet." he yelled over the speakers.

"Rhianna is going to meet you after she performs."

This evoked a loud scream from Sharpay as she and her brother resumed jumping up and down together.

* * *

"Thank you and goodnight! Go wildcats!" Rhianna shouted into the mic before the curtains closed once again and the spot lights beamed down on everyone.

"So, what'd you think of your first concert?" Troy asked Gabriella as she fussed with her hair, undoing the clip and ruffling her hair with her hands.

"That was amazing. I can't believe her dad got Rhianna to come perform!"

"No way did we just see Rhianna!" Taylor yelled, her ears still ringing from the show and not realizing how loud she was.

"Troy! Taylor! Chad! Gabriella!"

Each wildcat turned to see Sharpay rushing toward them, a wild look in her eyes.

"Follow me now!" she bellowed.

"Where are we going?" Troy began to ask.

"I said now! Rhianna is getting ready to leave but she wants to meet us!"

Troy's hand once again clamped over his mouth as he screamed. Chad rolled his eyes as he jogged after Sharpay, calling over his shoulder.

"Dude, you better get it together. She won't be impressed by squealing boys."

Gabriella practically drug Troy along as they trotted after Sharpay who dodged through various people in the crowd, making her way toward the driveway where Rhianna and her handlers were waiting as their gear was packed away.

"Daddy, we're all here!" Sharpay breathlessly sighed, brushing stray strands of her hair back. Ryan was already out front, radiating from the picture he'd just taken with her.

"Everyone here? You kids ready?"

Troy felt as though his knees were about to give, but he shakily nodded his head, staring at the lovely girl in front of him.

"Rhianna, I'd like you to meet my daughter Sharpay, and some of her friends from school. "

She bent forward to hug Sharpay,

"Hi sweetie, it's nice to meet you."

"And this is Taylor McKezzie." she hugged her as well.

"Chad Danforth." he also received a hug.

Troy began to sweat, he was not ready for a hug from Rhianna. 'Oh God' he thought to himself.

"Gabriella Montez."

"Ohh, I love your suit!" she admired as they pulled back from their hug.

"Thanks" Gabriella quietly said, blushing profusely.

"Last but not least, Troy Bolton."

"Hi Troy!" she leaned forward, extending her arms toward him. Everything moved in slow motion.

"Would you guys like a picture?" Sharpay's father questioned.

Everyone nodded in unison, and happily posed for individuals shots before they took a group photo. Troy just about died when Rhianna playfully threw an arm around him laughing gently as the camera flashed.

In the group shot they did one serious and one funny. In the funny one Taylor and Gabriella struck Charlie's Angels poses back to back, Chad jumped up, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. Ryan went cross eyed, and Sharpay blew a kiss at the camera. Troy felt his second death by Rhianna when she leaned over planting a kiss on his cheek. Troy stood, a look of utter bewilderment grazing his features.

She waved her goodbyes, Mr.Evans thanked her once again and she set off in the black awaiting Escalade, toward the airport.

Mr. Evans let everyone view the photos as they cowered around the digital camera. They ohhed and ahhed at the individual shots. They came upon the funny pose and everyone shrieked with laughter.

"Look at Troy's face!!!" Ryan and Taylor yelled together.

"Oh my god dude, that's priceless!" Chad laughed.

"Aww, babe. At least she kissed you. That's cool, right?" Gabriella gently assured.

He blushed furiously, looking at his dumbfounded haze.

"I look like a friggin' idiot!" he clapped his hand over his eyes not willing to look anymore at the embarrassing photo.

Everyone laughed once more at the photo, doubling over in stitches as Troy stood with his arms folded across his chest.

"Very funny guys, laugh it up."

"C'mon, let's go back to the party. We've got a volleyball tournament, remember?" Chad playfully poked Sharpay as they headed back to the party.

* * *

The party continued until about 12:35am when the caterers began packing up the food and people not spending the night made their way out front as the valet brought back their cars. Gabriella yawned. She and Taylor had been sitting on the deck whispering amongst themselves the past half hour.

"So do you think you'll get back together with Chad?"

"I don't know. I mean, this was a sweet gesture," she pointed toward the necklace hanging around her neck "but I need to make sure he's serious. I don't want to feel like all we do is bicker."

"You two don't always bicker. I've seen you guys be sweet toward one another. The bickering is just your way of messing with each other. It's not a bad thing." Gabriella offered.

They quickly changed the topic to bags when the boys headed in their direction. Gabriella found herself biting her bottom lip as she watched Troy's defined abdomen flex as he walked. She tore her eyes away from the ripples and let her gaze meet his face which was flushed from the volleyball game. His hair was slicked back off his forehead. 'And he's all mine' she thought to herself coyly.

"Earth to Gabriella." Taylor whispered.

She sighed, knowing all too well that her avert stare was quiet apparent, and smiled.

"I can't help it. Look at him!"

The two girls giggled together, both uttering a nonchalant "Nothing!" when Troy asked what was so funny.

* * *

Sharpay and Ryan finished saying their last goodbyes to friends. Sharpay approached the desk announcing that all the girls could follow her inside to get changed. Their bags having been taken upstairs by one of the maids.

Ryan, Zeke, Jason, Chad, and Troy made their way to the basement following Ryan where all their duffle bags had been arranged. The Evans mansion boasted thirteen bedrooms, four of which were downstairs. Troy offered to use the main floor bathroom to shower. The girls occupied the upstairs bathrooms rinsing off the chlorine and changing into pajamas before everyone congregated downstairs for late night chats and a possible movie viewing in the home theater room.

Gabriella shuffled down the spiral staircase, her slippers thumping along. She smiled when she saw Troy lounging on a couch chatting with Zeke, Kelsi and Taylor.

"Check out the spread babe."

"More food?" Gabriella wondering aloud as she saw the various candies, popcorn, pretzels and chips ornately displayed across the coffee table.

"It's awesome, right?" Troy repositioned himself on the recliner so Gabriella could lay between his legs. He grabbed a few Twizzlers, letting the end dangle from his mouth as he chewed.

The rest of the wildcat gang made their way to the common area. First Jason, then Ryan, followed by Chad. Of course Sharpay was last. Her pajamas were surprisingly normal, simply an old ASU sweatshirt and red plaid shorts although her hair and makeup were still perfectly in place. The other girls had scrubbed their faces in the shower and were looking quiet fresh faced.

Sharpay flopped down on a large floor pillow next to Zeke.

"So, we can watch a movie, there's board games, tell scary stories, play 'Never-Have-I-Ever' or… Rye what else can we do?"

"Well we've got Playstation 3?" he offered. Troy and Chad's eye lit up at this idea.

Kelsi groaned. "No Playstation please?"

"No way." Sharpay folded her arms.

"What is Never-Have-I-Ever?" Gabriella asked.

"You've never played? Oh my gosh we are so playing this game!" Sharpay grinned, lifting herself up and sitting Indian-style on the floor.

"This game is so stupid." Jason whined.

"Yeah man, it's a dumb game." Chad conquered.

The girls all shot a dirty look in both boy's direction. Troy stayed silent knowing it was the best way to avoid confrontation. He reached for a handful of peanut M & M's.

"So the rules are each question starts with 'Never have I ever' and you just name something random. It can be something funny, serious… sexual." Sharpay raised her eyebrow upon uttering the last word.

"And anyone who has not done it raises their hands. If it's two or more people, someone has to say another 'Never have I ever' phrase to narrow it down to one. Last person that doesn't raise their hand for a question has to tell what it is they've done. No lying!"

"Who's first?" Taylor asked looking around the room.

Troy pretended to be deep in thought as he stared at his palm full of M & M's.

"I guess I'll go first since I've never played before?" Gabriella shrugged.

"Atta girl!" Troy patted her on the back proudly.

"Never have I ever… cheated on a test."

Every hand remained down except Gabriella's. She gawked at Taylor for a moment.

"Okay, another one. Maybe something non-academics?" Kelsi offered.

"Never have I ever eaten an entire cake in one sitting."

Troy frowned, knowing that she was thinking of the time he'd eaten an entire chocolate fudge cake his mother had brought home from the office. He'd called Gabriella moaning about stomach cramps as he writhed in bed. She had questioned why'd he'd ever attempt eating an entire cake in one sitting.

"It was good!" he moaned, burping loudly as he lay on his back rubbing his sore stomach.

"That's gross Troy, when did you do that?" Taylor asked.

"Over the Christmas break"

"Why?" Kelsi pressed.

"I don't know! It was good?" he offered.

Chad simply shook his head at his friend.

"Whatever it's not that weird. All right. Never have I ever farted in public."

A few laughs erupted around the room. Sharpay's hand flew up immediately, a look of disgust across her face at the many hands that remained down-even some of the girls.

"Ok, no. We need something to loosen everyone up. These questions blow. No offense Troy and Gabi. Be right back." Chad announced walking back to the bathroom where his duffle bag lay. He came back with a bottle of brown liquid. A few of the boys whooped lightly.

"The Cuervo!" Jason laughed.

"Oh no. Tequila will kill ya!" Troy laughed.

The girls frowned. They were not completely opposed to drinking, but straight tequila? No way would any of them be partaking in the festivities.

"Chad, no girl here is drinking that rank concoction. Hold on." Sharpay disappeared behind the bar area near the pool table. She rummaged in a cabinet then opened the fridge. She came back with a bottle of vodka and a container of cranberry juice.

She grabbed a few plastic cups off the coffee table and began to pour small amounts of vodka into each cup adding the cranberry juice last.

"Are you sure we're not going to get in trouble?" Gabriella nervously asked. She didn't want Mr. or Mrs. Evans to come downstairs and catch them all with open bottles of alcohol.

"It's just to loosen the mood Gabs, no worries. We're not planning on getting drunk are we?" Ryan asked as he laid out five shot glasses for the boys.

Each wildcat shook their head no.

After the boys had their shots full and the girls had made sure they had enough juice to mask the harsh taste of vodka, they each raised their cup.

"What team?!" Chad lightly called out.

"Wildcats!" they all tipped their cups and the boys chugged down the shot. The girls sipped on their drinks.

"All right. That should help loosen everyone up. So disregarding that lovely farting question from Bolton, who wants to go next?" Chad questioned.

Zeke raised his hand.

"Never have I ever gone all the way" he asked, to which Chad grinned wickedly, chuckling as each wildcat glanced around nervously. Taylor slowly raised her hand, as did Ryan.

Kelsi and Jason furiously blushed while Troy and Gabriella coyly kept their hands down. Gabriella focused on taking a long swig of her cocktail in hand.

Ryan cleared his throat loudly and began the next question.

Chad began filling up the boys glasses again. It was about to be a long night.

* * *

The girls lightly hiccupped as they finished their first drinks. Sharpay offered more, but each girl declined, not wanting to get too tipsy. She returned the bottle back to the bar. The boys were getting a little rowdy. The game of 'Never Have I Ever' had now spilled into talks of a Truth or Dare tournament. It was 3am and sleep seemed so far away. Gabriella blinked her eyelids. They felt heavy, and she cuddled closer to Troy. He threw an arm around her, rubbing her shoulders.

Sharpay and Zeke began to make out on the rug near the fireplace, and Chad was daring Jason to eat a sickening glass full of pixie sticks, tequila, skittles, and popcorn. Chad covered his mouth as Jason began to down the mixture.

"No way dude! That's sick!" he laughed as Jason grimaced and raced toward the bathroom.

"I hate to break up the fun but my parents said no sleeping downstairs, we've all got to be in our rooms. I'm getting pretty tired, do you guys want to head upstairs?"

The girls lazily nodded, already fading fast. The boys were still hyped, running around and tackling each other.

"Ryan! We're going to bed. You guys…" her voice trailed off as she yawned "do whatever you want down here."

Troy stood up to hug Gabriella tight. Their lips met in a sweet kiss before she groggily mumbled,

"Nite baby. I love you."

"Love you too. See you in the morning."

* * *

Kelsi paired up with Sharpay in her king size bed and Gabriella and Taylor slept on a blow up mattress on the floor. As the girls snuggled under their covers, Sharpay's voice called out from the darkness.

"Girls?" she whispered.

"Yeah?" they replied.

"I'm glad you all are spending the night. It means a lot to me that you guys are here even though I've been mean to you for a long time. I'm really sorry."

The girls nodded their heads. Sharpay waited.

"I hope tomorrow can be the start of new friendships… for all of us."

The girls were silent for moment, contemplating what Sharpay had just done. She'd actually apologized in a sincere way for her less than admirable treatment toward the group.

"Sharpay?" Kelsi squeaked.

"Hmm?" she sleepily replied.

"Can we have waffles in the morning?"

The girls broke into laughter.


	13. Bathroom Shenanigans

_Troy was running fast, his chest constricting painfully from the lack of oxygen. _

'_Oh no' he thought as the machete wielding psychopath came into his line of view once again chasing him down the dark, wet cave. Rhianna was two steps ahead, effortlessly gliding through the air. Troy seemed relieved that she was out of harms way as he ducked, not a moment too soon from another undercut of the heavy blade. He surged forward, his feet carrying him faster and faster. The ground gave beneath him and he felt himself falling. He heard Rhianna scream ahead as he tumbled faster and faster._

"_Rhianna!"_

"_No!"_

"Dude, shut the hell up. Are you kidding me?" Chad's voice pierced through the air, harsh and menacing as he swiped at his friends' shoulder.

"Wha-huh?" Troy awoke in a cold sweat, his eyes blurry having not yet adjusted to his surroundings.

"Bolton, can it!" a severe whisper came from the pull out couch in Ryan's room.

Troy rubbed his eyes, allowing the all black room to fade away as the moonlight reflected through the blinds and shapes began making themselves noticeable. He sighed heavily, bringing a hand up to caress his chest as his heart beat slowed.

Chad lay next to him buried under his sleeping bag, snoring lightly. Quietly, Troy extracted himself from his tangled sheets and blankets so he could make the trek down the hallway to use the bathroom. His rustling woke Chad.

"Bolton we've been friends a long time man, but I feel something short of hate for you right now. Shut. The. Hell. Up." Chad hissed, rolling over with a loud grunt before his light snores resounded.

Troy tried not to snort with laughter. Chad had always been a light sleeper, and he thought back to the days of their youth when they'd have sleep overs together. Chad usually wound up tired before 10pm, while Troy's energy kept him bouncing off the walls well into the night. Many times a halfhearted argument would break out between the two as Chad whined about being tired and Troy chattered away endlessly.

He tiptoed over Zeke's sprawled out body and opened the door, quickly shutting it behind him. He started off in the direction of the bathroom, rustling his hair.

As he went to push in the bathroom door, he stumbled forward, bumping into a small figure. Instinctively, his arms went out to catch the figure that squealed.

"Whoa! What the-" Troy's grip tightened as he recognized the petite girl in his arms

"Gabriella?"

Her eyes were slightly glazed.

"Mmm? Oh! It's you."

"Sorry about almost knocking you over, I didn't know anyone is in there."

She nodded her head, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. She re-focused her eyes having shaken off her sleepiness. She smiled brightly at Troy, as she felt his arm nestle into the curve of her waist.

"Hi." she sheepishly whispered, staring deep in his eyes.

"Hi." Troy leaned forward, separating the space between them as his moist lips covered hers. Immediately her arms were around his neck, pulling him closer as she opened her mouth, welcoming the warm sensation of his tongue grazing lightly across hers. Begrudgingly, he pulled back aware of their problematic location still wedged in the doorway of the bathroom.

"You want to take this inside?" he asked, motioning with his free hand toward the bathroom.

"Troy, we can't! I've never been to the Evans house, and I'd rather not be kicked out because I got caught making out with my boyfriend in the wee hours of the morning."

"But that's why, if we just-" he whispered, nudging her body forward as his mouth attacked her neck, causing her to involuntarily walk backwards into the bathroom.

His foot lightly kicked the door shut. He fumbled with the lock, as Gabriella's kisses feverishly landed upon various parts of his face. Her mouth covered his as a low moan escaped him.

"Not so loud, wildcat" she smiled.

Troy perched himself atop the closed toilet seat, offering out his hands as Gabriella eased onto his lap, once again bringing their lips together.

They sat, their hands tangled in one another's hair as light sighs of the other's name gently rolled off their tongues.

Gabriella stopped, pushing Troy's chest away. His eyes flew open at the abrupt separation.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just think we should stop while we're ahead."

Troy rubbed his neck, breathing deeply as he regained his composure. Gabriella tried hard not to smile at his movements. Any other night she'd be up for a game of charades, but she really did not want to disrespect their invite for the evening by fooling around like this.

"All better?" she asked as his eyes opened slowly, finding hers.

He gave her a mock-stern look, before jokingly replying "Hardly."

She kissed his slightly inflamed lips, brushing her tongue briefly across his bottom lip. She straightened her wrinkled tank top and re-tied her ponytail before quietly exiting the bathroom, mouthing an apologetic 'I'm sorry' in his direction.

He smiled at her, as he stood up to splash cold water over his face. After he'd walked back to Ryan's room, he nestled back under the cool sheets jumping slightly at the voice next to him.

"Long bathroom trip, Bolton. Nice job."

Chad smiled as he could feel Troy rolling his eyes.

"Night bone-head." he chuckled

* * *

Taylor and Gabriella awoke to a methodical, rough rustling sound. They blinked their eyes as they yawned and stretched. 

Gabriella lifted herself onto her elbows, peering over at the vanity set. Sharpay sat, brushing her long blonde hair, lightly mumbling the number of strokes under her breath.

"One-one thousand…"

Gabriella and Taylor glanced at one another, stifling their laughter. Taylor cleared her throat.

"Morning Sharpay."

Sharpay stiffened, red rushing to her cheeks. She thought she'd been quiet enough during her morning hair brushing ritual to go unnoticed. She fought back the embarrassing feeling, as she turned around giving the girls a small wave.

"Morning girls. You guys want some breakfast?"

Kelsi popped her head out from underneath the down comforter, smiling brightly.

"Breakfast? I'm up!" she happily exclaimed grabbing her eyeglasses from the nightstand.

Each of the girls quickly brushed their teeth and washed their faces before heading downstairs. Gabriella shook her hair out from the ponytail as Sharpay slipped into her furry pink slippers. Taylor quickly braided her hair to the side before joining the awaiting group as they made their way to the kitchen.

Gabriella breathed in the incredible smell of waffles and bacon. She smiled as they rounded the corner.

All the boys were already at the table, happily munching as they joked with one another. Chad looked up and began to clap. The others looked over joining in on the applause, loudly hooting.

"There's our girls!" Jason announced.

The girls rolled their eyes, blushing as they quickly approached the island each grabbing a plate. They all gave one another knowing looks- the applause had embarrassed them but they secretly loved the implication.

"Waffles! Yes!" Kelsi whooped, stacking three onto her plate.

Gabriella's eyes roamed over the various foods, not sure what she was hungry for. Everything looked good. Taylor glanced over as she spooned scrambled eggs onto her plate. She picked up a warm crumble-top blueberry muffin, placing it on Gabriella's plate. She knew her friend adored the breakfast pastry. Gabriella smiled at her friend, mouthing a quick 'thanks' as she began to help herself to the appetizing fruit bowl.

As Gabriella approached the table, Troy patted the vacant seat next to her lifting an eyebrow at her, causing her to giggle.

"Morning babe." he happily offered, kissing the side of her head and she eased down into the seat.

"So, what's the plan today? Early morning swim?" Ryan asked as he soaked his waffles in syrup. Sharpay frowned, seizing the dish from him as he opened his mouth to object. She handed the serving piece to Kelsi who had been patiently waiting her turn. She smiled happily as she tasted her first bite.

"Heaven." she sighed contently.

Gabriella laughed, enjoying her muffin. Chad grinned, as he began to talk.

"So Troy and Gabriella. You guys sleep well?"

Gabriella nodded, not knowing Chad knew about their bathroom encounter.

Troy kicked Chad under the table, warning him with a glare not to push the topic any further. Chad being as he was, shrugged off the kick, replying.

"How was the bathroom?"

Troy looked up at the ceiling, inspecting an invisible spot on the ceiling. Gabriella choked a little on her juice, spattering as she struggled to stop coughing. Taylor glared in Chad's direction, wiping the smug grin off his face as he attacked his food.

"What is he talking about?" Kelsi asked.

"Nothing!" Gabriella chirped.

The wildcats giggled quietly knowing good and well Gabriella and Troy were infamous for their stolen kisses at every chance they could find.

To change the topic, Zeke made the comment that a swim might be nice. The group continued to chatter as Mr. and Mrs. Evan made their way into the kitchen.

"Morning kids!"

"Morning!" the group called in unison.

"Thank you for the lovely breakfast. Everything is amazing." Troy politely offered.

"You're very welcome. Did you all get enough to eat?" Mrs. Evans asked.

The girls nodded as the boys stood up to re-approach the spread, taking a second helping.

Mr. Evans stood by the expensive looking cappuccino machine.

"What's the plan for today? It's a lovely morning." he asked as he punched in his order.

"We're going for a swim after we eat daddy." Sharpay replied.

"Will everyone be staying for lunch? I'll have our chef whip up some sub sandwiches and potato salad and put them out back." Mrs. Evans smiled.

"Thank you!" came a united reply from the group.

* * *

The girls headed upstairs as the boys finished the last of their food. Gabriella chose her light blue one-piece she'd packed. Taylor wore a lime green tankini set, and Kelsi wasn't up for swimming but pulled a patterned cover-up over her head. 

"Gabi, could you braid my hair for me?" Kelsi asked. Gabriella came over to the bedside and quickly French braided her hair, securing it with an elastic band.

Sharpay emerged from her bathroom in a red bikini top, denim skirt, and a large beach hat with a white scarf tied around the center with the ends hanging down the back. Her large Jackie-O style sunglasses covered half her face, as she filled her matching red tote bag with gossip magazines and suntan oil.

The girls arrived outside first and began staking claim over the various lounge chairs. Sharpay laid down her towel, before reclining back in her chair. She screamed loudly as the chair gave and she wound up lying flat on her back.

Gabriella chuckled as she gently slid into the warm water. She floated over to the side, placing both her arms along the sides conversing with Taylor who sat flipping through a copy of Seventeen magazine.

"Who's that girl on the cover?" Gabriella pointed at the raven, curly haired girl smiling brightly on the glossy paper.

"Vanessa Hudgens. She kind of looks like you!" Taylor shrieked, opening up the spread. Gabriella squinted her eyes. She could make out the similar cheekbones, but laughed replying

"Yeah right, she's gorgeous!"

"Gabi. Have you looked in the mirror? So are you!" Taylor scoffed.

Gabriella chuckled to herself once more as she ducked her head under the water, quickly resurfacing. She blinked water out of her eyes and swam a few laps around the pool.

The boys made their way outside, towels in hand as they laid their belongings down on the table. Ryan set up his Bose set atop one of the tables, plugging it in as music pumped out of the speakers.

Gabriella floated onto her back, closing her eyes. She smiled when a shadow blocked the sun.

"Hi wildcat." she coyly replied, not opening her eyes.

Troy smiled, savoring the fact that he and Gabriella were so in tune with each other. He backed up, getting a running start before he dove into the water, gliding underneath her body. He emerged, slicking his hair back as she playfully kicked away from him.

* * *

The morning swim revitalized everyone as the gang joked and laughed with one another. 

Mrs.Evans called out to the group that lunch was ready. Everyone was grateful once again for the delicious food as they had worked up an appetite wading and frolicking in the water. Troy selected a meaty looking portion, grinning to himself.

"I could get used to this sort of eating."

"But then you wouldn't have these, which I love oh-so much." Gabriella playfully whispered in his ear, her hand grazing across his defined abdomen.

"Oh really?" Troy coyly replied. He ruffled his hair allowing a few stray pieces of hair to fall into his eyes.

"Still think the hair is sexy?" he teased, shaking his head so his hair dangled even more.

Gabriella poked his side, retreating back to one of the tables.

"Yes…" she voiced, barely above a whisper as she brushed past him leaving a sly smirk across her boyfriend's face. Troy was working that old black magic of his, and secretly Gabriella loved every second of it.


	14. Lights Out

**_Author's note: I am SO sorry for the lack of updates. I wrote "Flipped", "You and I", and "If Only She Knew" while taking a hiatus from this story. I hope to have this finished in about seven more chapters. Sorry again!_**

**_-Audrey_**

Several weeks had passed since the Evans' beginning of spring barbeque.

Troy was back in the swing of things, having been given clearance to start practicing with the team once again. Although he and Gabriella were very much invested in one another, they were both busy- she with her decathlon after school meetings, and he with practice.

With one month left of school before graduation, it was most certainly crunch time, especially for the East High state champion decathlon members. Their practices stretched further and further into the night time, and they were now up to six meetings a day, only taking Sundays off for rest.

Monday morning, Gabriella yawned as she gathered her books into her backpack. She rubbed at her eyes, feeling the unwanted yet familiar pangs of fatigue taking over her body.

She smiled as a pair of muscular arms engulfed her waist from behind.

"Morning beautiful" he cooed into her ear.

"Morning handsome" she responded, turning in his arms to face him.

They smiled at one another, letting their conjoined sleepiness melt away for a moment as they found comfort in each others' touch.

"Dude, c'mon the googily eyes this early in the morning is too much" Chad's mocking voice announced to their side, rousing them both from the slight trance they seemed to be under.

"Morning Chad…" Gabriella politely offered, begrudgingly peeling herself away from Troy's grasp to finish stuffing various binders into her bag.

Troy rolled his eyes, shooting Chad a withering glare to which Chad shrugged casually, not seeing any problem whatsoever.

As the three friends made their way to homeroom, Troy reached up to his temples, grimacing at the dull, aching pain.

Gabriella glanced sideways, immediately noticing the shift in his mood, frowning at the look of discomfort splashed across his features.

"Troy-" she quietly began.

"I'm all right, just tired" he lied, not wanting her to worry.

"But Troy-"

"Gabi, I'm just tired. Honest" he forced himself to smile, although the pulsating vibrations in his forehead were overwhelming.

She nodded her head, resolving that he wouldn't lie to her and that it probably hadn't helped their sleep schedules to have a late chat on the phone that spilled into the early hours of the morning the night before.

Before they took their seats in the classroom, Troy made arrangements with Gabriella to meet up after their practices. They would both be on campus until at least seven that evening and he'd offered to drive her home.

They scampered hurriedly as a female voice cleared their throat behind them, indicating roll call was about to begin and that each Wildcat had better be comfortably seated and accounted for if they knew what was best for them as Miss Darbus strolled into the room.

* * *

That evening Gabriella sat in the multiuse purposes lounge with her teammates, huddled over a notebook as she furiously jotted down formulas and made quick markings to solve the equations in front of her.

She glanced up noticing the timer ticking methodically in front of her. She frowned, feeling the slight urge to reach across the table and slap it away. It was bad enough that she was having a momentary brain fart, let alone the fact that the incessant ticking seemed to grow louder and louder, further mocking that she was having difficulty coming up with an answer.

Taylor glanced over, softly nudging her friend, urging her to work faster. Gabriella huffed, squinting her eyes as she cross-checked her answer, knowing it was literally just a decimal point or two off but not finding the source of the error.

Her phone vibrated in her bag and she ignored it, offering an apologetic smile toward her few teammates who looked in the direction of her book bag strewn at her feet.

Taylor slammed her hand down on a bell positioned near she and Gabriella as she finished the equation. Stephen, a real guru with fractions checked her answers with a calculator and beamed proudly as he rattled off the same numeric answer as Taylor had previously stated.

"Great job McKessie. If you keep it up at this rate, you might just lead us right to another state victory" he smiled.

Gabriella mentally cursed herself for missing the silly carrying over of the one, stopping herself as she took notice of the slight tinge of jealousy radiating through her body. Was it jealousy? She'd never been one to easily stir at the doings of others. Even Sharpay had worked hard to get under her skin before she'd ever "gone off" on her. She shook her head, shaking off the conflicted feelings.

Her phone began to buzz once more and Stephen threw a glare in her direction.

"It's off, you don't even have to tell me" she urged, fishing around in her bag to silence and turn the power to her cell phone off. Something told her to glance at the text however. She ducked her head under the table and froze as her curious eyes skimmed over the brief phrase.

* * *

Troy fake passed to Zeke, quickly spinning on his heel to the left and shooting effortlessly over his shoulder, grinning wide as he watched the ball drop into the net with a punctuated 'swishing' noise.

Chad clapped a hand over his back, cheering on his teammates as they continued their scrimmage. Jason made a nice lay-up earning him several congratulatory shouts as the boys continued to run back and forth, passing, covering defense, and working up a sweat in hopes to bring home their last high school championship trophy.

Coach Bolton blew his whistle indicating a water break.

"Five minute break fellas. Way to hustle everyone. We've really got a good energy going here tonight. I don't know what's gotten into you boys, but whatever it is- keep it up. That's the energy of champions" he grinned, earning a few proud glances in his direction from both his son and several members of the team.

As Troy bent down to grab his Gatorade from the bleachers, he fell to one knee, a searing burn flashing across his forehead. He winced, taken aback by the heat erupting throughout his temples.

Chad was at his side immediately, offering a hand under one arm to keep him steady.

"Coach! Troy is hurt!" he yelled, bewilderment and concern teetering across his voice.

Coach Bolton had his back turned, but he detected the raw fear in Chad's cry, and rushed to his side.

"Troy? What's hurting?" he gently pressed, watching helplessly as the color faded from his sons face. He looked as pale and lifeless as a sheet of paper.

He could hear his father but the words would not form in his throat to voice what hurt. All he felt was pain. Bullets of sweat ran down his forehead as he lurched further down from another spasm of a searing sensations that shot through his entire head.

"Dad…" he pleaded.

"…help" he choked out, grasping his hands tightly onto both his knees.

"Someone call 9-1-1!" boomed Coach Bolton's voice across the gymnasium as Zeke and Jason set off to fetch their phones from their gym bags.

"Hold on Troy" Chad sternly replied, calming slightly as his friend looked in his direction, registering that he had heard him.

His brown eyes locked with Coach Bolton as they both crouched over one's son and the others' best friend. Doubt lingered over both their orbs as Troy gave another gut wrenching groan and his eyesight faded to black.

* * *

Troy was wide awake but couldn't see anything- at least he felt wide awake. He winced at the pinch in a vein in his right arm as an iv was administered by a male paramedic.

He could hear his father discussing the situation with another male, apparently the driver as he rattled off his social security numbers and date of birth.

He could feel the eyes staring down on him, but for some reason could not see them.

"Did your son complain of these episodes prior to this evening?" the male voice conversing with his father questioned.

"He's had migraines, but the doctors said that was normal with the force of the beams and everything. He's been on Oxycontin since the accident. He's been resting, he took off basketball practice for well over a month- I just don't understand" his fathers voice broke as he took another look at his fallen son.

Troy's body was being lifted. He blinked- or at least if felt like he was blinking, but nothing registered. A dim, grey color was all he could see.

"Dad?" he called out.

"Yeah Troy I'm right here" came his soothing voice. He was to his left. Troy could smell the familiar cologne lingering around his nostrils.

"Dad, I can't see anything" he began, choking up at the realization that his eyes were open and he couldn't see.

"I can't see anything!" he screamed, panic taking over his body as he reached up to claw at his eyes, hoping to restore his vision that had just been there. He felt a pair of strong hands force his arms to his sides as Velcro was strapped over him to keep his palms away from his face. He writhed, not understanding what was happening. The pain in his head was long gone but now fear surged throughout his body.

"No!!" he screamed as the sensation that he was being lifted came over him again. He could tell he was being wheeled away. He wanted to know what was happening.

"Noooo!!" came his last shrill cry as his teammates looked on.

"Coach…" Chad's small voice called out as he jogged after his son.

He turned, not wanting to hear the question he knew was on each of the boys' minds.

"Is Troy-" Chad began, but stopped his sentence as he blinked back tears.

"I don't know boys. I-"

Another scream from Troy caused him to give one last apologetic look, telling the team he'd be in touch with their parents as soon as he knew more and he took off on foot, racing to catch up with the paramedics as they led Troy down the hallway.

* * *

Gabriella clapped her hand over her mouth.

"Gabriella, are you all right?"

Tears began to spill from her eyes as she shook her head back and forth, holding out her cell to Taylor.

_Something's wrong with Troy. Going to hospital._

A crestfallen look came over both Taylor and Gabriella's faces as they realized the seriousness of Chad's frantic text. Both girls stared at one another when they heard a shrill, male voice screaming from the hallway. Immediately Gabriella was on her feet, leaving behind her books and belongings, as she registered the owner of the voice instantly.

She burst through the door, looking back and forth down the hallway, sprinting down the corridor as another cry sounded off toward the gymnasium. She needed to get to him, that's all she knew. She didn't care what horrible sight she was perhaps met with, she needed to be by his side. He needed her, and she him.

Gabriella heard footsteps right behind her knowing Taylor was right behind her. She trudged forward, reeling around the corner and quickening into an all out sprint as she saw the gurney holding Troy being wheeled down the hall.

Coach Bolton only registered the petite girl after her dark curls zoomed past him. He went out to grab a hold of her, to keep her back. He knew the two weren't ready for what was happening- what might be his permanent state.

"Troy!" Gabriella breathlessly gasped, reaching for his hand that he immediately squeezed so hard she winced, not caring though how tight his grasp on her fingers was.

Taylor walked along the other side of the gurney looking down at Troy's grey looking eyes… something was off. Their color was opaque looking.

"Gabriella!" he cried, his red face twisting into a pleading grimace as tears fell from his vacant eyes.

"I can't see anything, I can't see anything! I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING!" he screamed over and over, his voice cracking from the raw force of his cries.

"Troy it's okay, it's going to be okay" she tried to sooth him. His eyes had no life, they lazily gazed off toward the ceiling.

They had already reached the awaiting ambulance outside, but Troy still held onto her hand firmly.

"Miss this is as far as we can let you go- only family and relatives-"

"She is family" Coach Bolton firmly stated, looking the paramedic in the eye, challenging him to disagree.

"Dad, please let Gabriella come" Troy pleaded.

"We can only take one sir, and we need to get him to a hospital now" the paramedic urged.

Coach Bolton thought fast.

"Taylor you come with me, Gabriella you go in the ambulance I'll follow in my car. Troy, I'll be right behind you, okay?"

Troy nodded his head as another fit of tears took hold of his body as he struggled to connect his eyes with the sound of his father's voice.

Gabriella momentarily unclasped their hands as she stepped up and held onto the paramedics hand who helped hoist her into the back of the van. She sat on the hard metal bench.

Troy's hand immediately grasped at the open air, seeking her palm once more. She quickly buried her hand in his, and scooted down, positioning herself on her knees, laying her head right next to his on the pillow, making sure to not touch any of the various tubes or iv's hooked into his arms.

Troy calmed, feeling her near him. The paramedic sighed heavily watching the young couple comfort one another.

She spoke gently in his ear and he listened.

"Troy, don't be scared. I'm here. I'm here…" here voice trailed off.

"I can't see anything" he repeated the same phrase he'd latched onto.

"Baby, I know. We're going to the hospital. The doctor's are going to help you. Don't be scared, it's going to be all right."

He hiccupped softly, silent tears still streaming down his cheeks. He no longer grasped her hand so tightly and his breathing had slowed. She glanced over at the paramedic who watched his heart rate, nodding his head in approval that she was helping calm him down.

"Am I blind?" he quietly asked, turning his head in her direction. He didn't want to hear the truth, let alone voice aloud the question at all, but he needed to know what she thought. He knew of all people she would tell him the truth and not lie.

She looked at the paramedic once more who gave her a small nod of his head. Hope left her body, a cold calm crept upon her, and she looked down at Troy and softly whispered.

"Yes."

Words left him and his shoulders shook softly as fresh tears furiously crept from his eyelids. Without warning, without any real reason, Troy Bolton's brilliant blue eyes would never see color, sunsets, Gabriella Montez-or anything again.


	15. The Truth

Troy could feel the cool breeze of the machine whirring over his body.

"Just try and hold still Troy, you will hear several clicks" a soft female voice resounded in the headphones that had been slipped over his ears.

The doctors needed to conduct a cat-scan, blood work, and several various tests to figure out the cause of his temporary blindness. He was young, athletic, and in the best shape of his life- all elements that the doctors knew were on his side to perhaps bounce back without serious permanent damage. As of now though there were no answers. It could be anything from a severely infected cornea to a ruptured blood vessel.

It was a waiting game no one wanted to partake in.

He swallowed, hearing the machine continually click. He closed his eyes wondering to himself how his physical vision was gone but inside his mind he was able to see. He could clearly visualize every color of the rainbow, each ray of light, the soft curve of Gabriella's smile- everything. But as he opened his eyes, he was once again met with the dull grey color that saturated his surroundings.

His breath caught in his throat as the warm, unwanted tears began to slide down his cheeks.

The machine began to whir once more as he felt himself exiting the large machine. A door opened somewhere to his right and he heard footsteps approach.

Soft tissue lightly grazed across his cheeks. The nurse was silently wiping his tears away. Neither spoke as she made her swift sweeping motions over his face before she situated him back onto his gurney.

He could feel the shift in temperatures as she wheeled him from the air conditioned room to the dull heat of the hallway. A pen dropped to his left and he shifted his head toward the direction. A woman sneezed in a room and he listened as she blew her noise. A baby giggled ahead, cackling joyfully.

All sound felt highlighted, all his touch was illuminated tenfold. He felt like he was experiencing some sort of heightened sense of bodily awareness as the gurney rounded a corner. He could sense they were inside his hospital room as the bed rolled to a gentle stop.

"The doctor has gone out to speak with your parents. They will be brought back once they're finished. Do you need anything?" the nurse asked.

He shook his head no, and waited for her footsteps to fade away before he let out a frustrated sigh. He blinked his eyes.

Nothing.

There was hazy grayness to his surroundings. He could just barely make out dark shapes but the view was far too grainy for anything to be certain.

His world had crashed upon him in the blink of an eye. One minute he was getting back into the swing of basketball, anticipating graduation, readying up for prom, and now he literally could not see his future. What did a world of darkness mean?

"_Gabriella, are you sure?" he whispered in her ear._

_She looked up at him from underneath his frame. Her small body was gently nestled under his, his legs straddling either side of her body while he held his upper body up with his forearms._

_It was a year and a half now that they'd been together. Against all odds, East High's star athlete and the shy, wallflower new girl had somehow managed to become the most envied couple. Girls noticed the way Troy adoringly gazed at the curly haired girl as she would gather her books from her locker hoping someday a boy would look at them just like that. Even Chad, infamous for his wry humor had very little to pester his best friend about, because it was obvious how in sync the two were with one another. _

_If Troy had forgotten to sharpen his pencil before Miss Darbus readied to tear through another lecture, Gabriella was already tapping his shoulder, handing him a sharp tipped writing utensil. _

_At lunch when Gabriella would reach for the shaker to salt her fries, Troy was already handing it to her. Subconsciously they would help the other in all sorts of small gestures._

_Gabriella would instinctively hold out the arm of his varsity jacket, helping him into it before he'd struggle. While they'd quietly sit next to one another in the library, a stray curl dangling across her cheek, Troy brushed it back, without missing a beat in continuing on with his homework. _

_The two would joke with one another while Gabriella paid for a drink at one of the vending machines as he nonchalantly slid her freshly purchased Vitamin Water out her grasp to unscrew the stubborn lid, handing it back to her as they walked off together._

_These little, ordinary things are what everyone around them took notice of. Gabriella and Troy were in step with each and there was no arguing that._

_So that warm summer evening, days before their senior year started, they took a plunge together, into new, uncharted territory. They'd skirted around the issue for months, always stopping before the act of intimacy ever presented itself. _

_One time they'd gone so far as to both be stripped of their clothing, Troy holding his body weight against his forearms, hovering above her body when Gabriella breathlessly pleaded,_

"_Troy… not yet."_

_It had taken all his strength to retract from her. No matter how tantalizingly warm and inviting her body seemed at the moment. She'd asked him to stop and he would always halt further action if that's what she asked of him._

"_I'm sure" she cooed, locking her gaze with his as he pushed past her threshold, causing her to suck in her breath sharply as they left childhood behind._

A world of darkness meant no world at all. Everything- Gabriella, college, basketball, life as he had come to know it had been ripped away before he was ready.

He shifted to his side , burying his face in his hands allowing darkness to swallow him whole.


	16. She Can't Come In Here

_**Author's note: I have no excuse for the delay in updates for this story, besides the small fact that life indeed happens.**_

Gabriella shivered beneath an invisible cold. She scanned the room and felt an overwhelming sense of deja-vu. They had all just been here, months earlier, holding vigil in the waiting room for Troy to wake up. How were they back here?

Blinking back fresh tears that threatened to spill over, she settled back in her chair, glancing over at the clock displayed on the adjacent wall.

"Two hours…" she mumbled to herself.

"What was that?" Taylor whispered, hearing the girls' soft voice.

"Oh-" she began, not realizing she'd said anything aloud, "I was just saying it's been two hours since he went back. You'd think they'd have something by now, right?"

Her chocolate orbs searched the coffee colored pools of her friends.

Taylor sighed heavily, pushing back the sight of Troy's opaque eyes. They had been so grey, so lucid. The stark contrast from his normal vibrant ocean eyes to the milky haze of distant color shocked her. She knew immediately his vision was gone but had been too scared to vocalize the truth.

"I'm sure a doctor will be out soon enough with some news."

"Taylor…" Gabriella quietly whispered.

Her friend leaned in closer.

"I'm scared" she gently admitted.

Sliding her hand into the petite palm of her friend, she squeezed and smiled gently when she felt a return grasp upon her fingers. Although the two girls had known each other just a little over a year, they now served as pillars of strength for one another.

Gabriella's brilliant mind had no more thoughts left to think.

Taylor's alert vocabulary failed to produce any words of wisdom.

There was nothing they could do, but sit, and wait.

* * *

"_Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Tr-oy! Happy birthday to you!"_

_He leaned over the picnic table, smiling a toothy grin at his friends. Closing his eyes, he drew in a deep breath and blew out the seven blue candles._

_An applause erupted as Chad whined about wanting an end piece and Troy fused with the elastic string underneath his chin holding his birthday hat in place._

"_Troy honey, did you make a wish?"_

_Beaming brightly as his mother he happily nodded his head up and down._

_His friend Jason went to take a bite of birthday cake._

"_Jason, NO!!" the young boy with curly haphazard hair suddenly shrieked._

_Everyone glanced over. Troy cocked his head to the side, staring quizzically at his best friend wondering why he'd shouted so harshly at the other boy._

_Jason's mouth hung open-the white plastic fork quivering near the gaping hole._

"_It's Troy's birthday. He has to go first!" Chad exclaimed, clapping his hand across his friend's back._

"_Ohhhhhh" came a unison reply around the table._

"_Sorry Troy" Jason sheepishly replied._

"_It's okay" Troy countered. He glanced over at his friend and quietly replied, "Thanks Chad."_

"_Well hurry up and eat it, I'm starving!" the boy griped in return._

_Troy chuckled to himself before eagerly grabbing a fork and diving into the chocolate ice cream cake._

His damp hands clung to the sheets. He'd been gripping them hard the past half hour after another set of nurses had left him alone in the room. He could tell by their footsteps that there were two people, although only one woman had spoken.

Grey was now the only color he could see. No matter how many times he blinked, tried forcing his eyes to water, or struggled to focus hard on a particular area, the vision remained grey.

No longer struggling, he felt a wave of calm flow over his entire body when a familiar damp scent hit his nostrils, instantly shifting his thoughts back to a rainy afternoon in November. It had been a turning point for he and Gabriella.

_Leaning down off the side of her fluffy bed, he aimlessly scratched the back of his knee._

_Shifting his sight to the petite girl at his side, he noticed an odd look in her eyes. It wasn't anger, but a serious expression of sorts billowed across her soft features._

"_You okay?" he asked, instinctively reaching up to scratch the back of his neck as he nervously awaited her answer._

_Simply nodding her head, he looked back down at their history homework, furrowing his brow at the various dates he needed to memorize. Feeling her eyes on him again, he looked up and one again caught her intense stare._

"_Are you sure you're all right?"_

"_Yeah…" she whispered, making a movement to ease her body closer to his._

_Instinctively, he reached out to rub her calf muscles, smiling when he heard the small sound of approval she made._

"_You want to take a break from all the studying?" he asked._

"_Yeah, my head just hurts at this point."_

_They sat in silence, Troy kneading the back of her leg._

"_Have you ever been in love before?" she suddenly blurted out, not daring to catch his gaze._

_He continued to rub, but eventually answered._

"_I love my mom and dad…" he began._

"_No, I mean we all love our parents, but that's kind of an automatic love. I mean more of, loving someone that you are, you know…"_

_Troy chuckled at the unfamiliar loss of words she experienced._

_Gazing up into her eyes, he smiled softly._

"_Well, I love basketball, I love the Lakers, I love chocolate milk…"_

"_Trooy!" she half-whined._

" …_and I love you." he quietly stated._

_Her eyes looked into his as they connected on a new, heightened level. A grin crept upon her soft features, matching the already wide-spread across his chiseled face._

"_Always?" she whispered._

"_Always."_

"_I love you too, Troy" she whispered just before their lips connected, and an acceptance of the shift in their relationship washed over them._

The image of her faded while the smell of her skin blew away as if a gust of wind ripped it from his senses.

Lowering his head, he cried violently into his pillow, wave after wave of grief pummeling his soul.

He'd never see Gabriella's sweet face and yet again the realization of this sad and awful truth sunk in.

* * *

Gabriella frowned, feeling a pain in her side.

Chad looked in her direction noticing the shift in the small girls' demeanor. He cocked an eyebrow upwards.

She slowly nodded her head up and down, indicating she was all right. She rubbed at her side, frowning at the intensity of the heat she felt.

"We should have heard from a doctor by now" Gabriella blurted out.

As Coach Bolton rounded a corner, returning from purchasing a late dinner from Subway for the various wildcats strewn across the waiting room, a doctor bearing a clipboard made his way toward the group who was now politely thanking Troy's father for the gesture, happily accepting the bags of food.

Gabriella was the first to notice the doctor. Her small hand encasing a bag of Sun Chips immediately clenched until the whites of her knuckles shown. Taylor noticed the tense stance of her best friend and jerked her head in the direction of the middle-aged man, going over his charts once more as he gathered Troy's analysis.

Clearing her throat, Taylor tapped Coach Bolton's shoulder.

"Coach…" she lightly called out since the man's back was still turned as he distributed the last of the cold sandwiches and bags of chips to the young students.

"Yeah Tay-" he began, but quickly stopped noticing the young man in light blue scrubs.

Their eyes met and the doctor spoke.

"Mr and Mrs. Bolton?"

"Yes…" the two parents timidly replied in unison.

"Could I speak with you both for a moment?" he gestured off to the side, so as to not have the rather large group of teens overhear the entire conversation.

Gabriella's eyes welled with tears as she fought back the urge to cry out, desperately wanting to know Troy's status and physical state.

Taylor gently placed one hand on her shoulder whilst offering her one half of a turkey sub sandwich.

"Eat something…"

Gabriella stared at the food, wanting nothing less in that moment than to eat.

"Please…"

Sighing heavily, she picked up the sandwich and took a very small, miniscule bite of bread, chewing robotically. Somewhere off in the distance she heard Taylor's voice chatting away at her side, but all her focus and attention was to her left at a discreet trio of adults talking in hushed whispers amongst themselves.

**1 hour later…**

Most of the wildcats had gone home, having given their final condolences and words of hope to Troy's parents. Taylor remained next to Gabriella in the waiting room. Although Chad had offered to take the girls home, both had resolved to stay as long as needed in order to get an update on Troy.

Troy's parents had been whisked away almost an hour ago after they quickly told the awaiting teens that there was no real improvement or return in Troy's eye-sight but that he was resting comfortably and aware of his surroundings and understood the situation.

Taylor leaned back in her chair and in a matter of minutes dozed off.

Gabriella gave a small smile in her friend's direction as she settled into her own seat, flipping aimlessly through the first magazine her fingers had grazed over.

"Gabriella?"

Her head turned quickly upon hearing the familiar, deep voice. The voice that sounded so much like his sons.

"Is he all right? What'd they say? Is there anything new? Can he see? What's the prognosis, do they want to take another cat-scan, have they already administered an MRI, do you know if-" the words spilled from her mouth without control.

Coach Bolton held up a hand, halting the girls' rant.

Her warm eyes calmed, the wild glint easing.

"Can I?" she asked.

"Sure, c'mon," he made a motion with his arm for her to join him.

"Tay?" she rapped against the girls' arm.

"Tay?" she tugged a little harder at the hem of her sweatshirt.

"Mmm? What's wrong?" she mumbled, not yet having fully woken up.

"We're going to see Troy now, c'mon."

"Oh!" the girl exclaimed, quickly jumping up to follow Coach Bolton back to the I.C.U. unit.

Despair filled the halls. Soft moans and cries crept from each darkened room they passed, haunting Gabriella's mind, plaguing the thoughts she fought to keep positive.

_He's never going to see again. He's blind Gabriella…_

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, stopping in her tracks. Slowly, she opened her lids.

A little girl, no older than five years old dressed in a light blue hospital gown that matched her equally pale blue eyes leaned against the doorframe staring at the teen girl, one hand wrapped around a plush teddy bear dangling at her side, the other gently nestled against her chubby cheeks while she sucked her thumb.

Gabriella felt as though her heartbeat was hooked up to speakers, certain that anyone walking past could surely hear the gentle thud.

Her eyes roamed over the small girl, noticing her bald head and the deep scar extending from the side of her round head and ending near the nape of her neck just under her right ear.

With the hand that was in her mouth, the girl used her pinky to wave at Gabriella.

The tears in her chocolaty eyes spilled forth as her cheeks moved up and she mouthed 'hello' , returning the gesture.

'Hi' the little girl mouthed.

"Gabriella?" Jack's voice called out.

With one final look at the little girl, Gabriella walked a few doors down to Troy's room. The door was slightly ajar and an inviting warm light emitted into the hallway.

Her heart instantly felt at ease just being in closer proximity to his being.

"You girls wait just a moment outside. I want to make sure he's awake and know you're coming."

Both girls silently nodded their heads in unison as Coach Bolton slipped inside the room.

* * *

Troy connected the owner of the heavy footsteps as soon as they made their way into the room. He'd noticed in the last few hours that his dad seemed to almost march, rather than walk.

"Troy?"

"Yeah dad?"

"Gabriella and Taylor are waiting outside. They've been here all night. Would you like to see them for a little while?"

"No" came his harsh, cold reply.

"Are you sur-"

"I SAID NO! I DON'T WANT TO SEE GABRIELLA! I DON'T WANT TO SEE HER! SHE CAN'T COME IN HERE!!" his voice boomed as he shot up from the hospital bed.

"NO!" he yelled

"Son, just calm down" his father attempted to soothe the boy, knowing the weight of realizing he might be permanently blind was causing him to react this way.

"I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE HER!" he screamed, his voice raw with emotion and his face twisted in pain.

Nurses quickly rushed to the room upon hearing the screaming, restraining Troy to help prevent him from dislodging any of the various iv's poking into his hands and forearms.

"NO! SHE CAN'T COME IN HERE!" he choked out, succumbing to his exhaustion in a fit of guttural sobs.

The eldest of the two nurses administered a sedative to calm the struggling boys' flailing limbs.

"That's five milligrams of diazepam…" she rattled off to the house resident who furiously scribbled the numbers onto her clipboard.

"No, she can't…" he quietly whimpered as he fell back onto his bed.

* * *

Coach Bolton made his way back toward the hallway, hoping the girls' had somehow been deaf to his son's violent fit, especially the curly haired brunette.

Guilt washed over him as his eyes fell upon the melancholy site before him.

The blow of Troy's words had caused Gabriella's knees to buckle and she now lay cradled in Taylor's arms her small hands covering her face as her friends' arms wrapped around her petite shoulders helping hold her body up- holding her emotions in place, holding her together as she openly wept.


	17. Waiting

**Friday, 2:15pm:**

The final bell resounded, indicating the long awaited weekend. Teens happily clamored from their classrooms, spilling out into the crowded hallways chattering amongst one another.

Within the vast crowd of overjoyed rapture, one petite brunette quietly made her way from her final period toward the main entrance where she quickly mounted her bicycle, journeying toward the now all too familiar building off in the distance.

Taylor looked after her friend with sad eyes as she watched her body grow smaller and smaller.

**4:30pm:**

Coach Bolton awkwardly made his way over to the lithe girl, not quite able to find the correct phrasing to indicate Troy's unwavering refusal to allow her into his room.

She was deeply immersed in her book, thoughtfully chewing on the end of her highlighter, lightly chuckling to herself when the timid protagonist Jane Eyre referred to Mr. Rochester as 'arrogant'. _'Good for her' _she thought to herself.

Noticing the approaching footsteps, she glanced up, quickly book marking her spot- an eager grin spreading across her features.

"Gabriella, I'm sorry. This is a difficult time for Troy… he's just not ready" Coach Bolton quietly announced.

Her smile did not falter.

"It's okay" she replied.

"You've got to understand that-" he began.

"I understand Coach Bolton. Thanks for trying. If it's okay, I'm just going to wait out here."

"I don't mind. Are you sure? You could get home before it's dark and continue reading. I can give you a call if Troy changes his mind?" he suggested.

"I'm sure. I'll have my mom come pick me up later" she firmly resolved.

Coach Bolton admired her gumption. In the eyes of the fear that Troy may never see again, she had not once become angry- at least not openly in front of her fellow classmates, himself, or his wife.

He always noticed a look about her as she quietly went about her business. She was stronger than he had first given her credit for.

He took a step back toward the double doors heading back toward Troy's room, when her hopeful voice called out to him.

"I know he might not want to see me, but I want him to know I'm here."

Coach Bolton turned around, nodding his approval and understanding. She was an upstanding young lady, although deep down he knew his son's behavior was hurting her to the core.

Opening her book, the amused expression returned as she silently cheered on her favorite American classic heroine.

* * *

**Saturday, 10am:**

"Gabriella?" came Mrs. Bolton's dejected soft voice spoke out, indicating another day that Troy would not be seeing any visitors.

"It's okay. I'll be out here until four. I have a decathlon meeting later this afternoon."

"Do you need anything, sweetheart?" she asked, wanting to offer some sort of comfort to the girl.

"No thank you" she smiled before focusing back on the keys of her laptop as she continued to type a history paper she had due first thing on Monday.

* * *

**Sunday, 12:30pm:**

Gabriella had adopted a routine, always arriving around nine in the morning dressed comfortably in wildcat colors- her ensemble usually consisting of lounge pants and a hooded sweatshirt. She favored the hot cocoa from one of the small gift shops near the cafeteria, ordering a large cup and sometimes indulging in whipped cream.

The woman working the counter began to recognize the girl and engaged in small chats as she made the frothy concoction.

"If you don't mind my asking, is it a family member in the hospital?"

"Not exactly, but my boyfriend has been here since Thursday."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thank you."

"How are you holding up?"

She noticed the girl's shoulders slump a little before she replied.

"It's a little hard…" her voice trailed off.

"…he won't see me."

"Oh man…" the woman sighed, not having realized this young woman had been spending her days waiting, many times by herself hoping she'd be able to visit with her injured boyfriend to no avail.

"He'll come around. You've just got to give him some time."

"I know. He knows I'm here. Whenever he's ready, I'm here" she smiled.

The woman finished pouring the hot liquid into a to-go mug. She picked up a warm Danish, wrapping it in wax paper and handed it to the girl.

"It's on the house. Enjoy."

"Thank you. See you tomorrow" she happily replied.

She sighed heavily as she walked back toward the waiting room. What if Troy was serious when he'd said he never wanted to see her again?

Her brow furrowed as a deep-set frown grazed her features, letting this realization sink in for the first time. She'd never spent enough time pondering what she would do if that in fact happened.

* * *

**Monday, 5:30pm:**

Coach Bolton returned to the waiting room, looking slightly upset.

"Is he all right?" Gabriella asked, instinctively rising to her feet.

Coach Bolton held out his hand, indicating softly for the girl to return to her seat.

"He's still the same. Angry, agitated… There's been no real improvement in his vision. His doctor has ordered another round of cat scans to be done later this evening."

"I'm glad to hear they're wanting to do more tests. Perhaps something that wasn't there before will present itself?" she wondered aloud.

At that moment, Taylor returned from purchasing dinner for the two. Gabriella thanked her as she handed off a bag containing a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato basil soup from the cafeteria.

"I'm going to head back in, but I just wanted to keep you updated on what's happening" Coach Bolton announced as he started to leave.

"Thank you."

As Taylor unwrapped her club sandwich, she nonchalantly made conversation.

"Will he see you yet?"

"No."

"Are you going to come back tomorrow?"

Gabriella gave a dead-pan.

"C'mon Tay, you know the answer to that question" she lightly chuckled.

"You'd think by now he'd want to see you. I can't imagine this is easy for him, but he's been a real jerk."

"All I can do is wait. He'll come around" Gabriella shrugged.

* * *

**Tuesday, 5:30pm:**

Coach Bolton shook his head.

Gabriella nodded as she got back to studying for her Latin oral exam the next day.

* * *

**Wednesday, 4:00pm:**

Gabriella reached down, hearing her phone vibrate.

"Mija?" came her mother's concerned voice.

"Hi mommy" she sighed, exhaustion apparent in her tone.

"Sweetie, come home. You've been there every day. One day of rest might be good."

"Mom, I'll be home by dinner, I promise."

She sighed, not wanting her daughter to get her hopes up that Troy would change his mind. He was dealing with something more difficult than any of them could imagine and unfortunately he may not be ready to see Gabriella for quite some time.

"I'm here for Troy. I'm not going crazy, but I think my being here helps" came Gabriella's plea.

"Okay Mija. You'll be home by six please?"

"All right. Thank you."

* * *

**Thursday, 7pm:**

She exited the hospital bathroom stall and walked over to the sinks and began lathering her hands with the antibacterial soap.

Her head remained down as she watched the bubbles slide down the drain.

While drying her hands, she finally looked at her reflection.

There by the mirror, she held her head in her hands and wept.

* * *

**Friday, 8pm:**

All the wildcats had promised that instead of going out to the movies or for a pizza dinner, they would head to the hospital in support of Troy whose vision was no better and no worse than when he first arrived at the hospital.

Chad had coaxed Coach Bolton into letting him go back to Troy's room with him, after several pleas from Gabriella.

"Chad, you can get through to him. I'm not even angry at him, but it's been a week."

"He hasn't seen you in a week? Why?" Chad nearly exclaimed, growing concerned now as he had not realized Gabriella had not seen him even once.

"I don't know why. He won't see me" she mumbled.

He noticed her bottom lip start to quiver. That small gesture pushed him to the edge. He quickly shot up from his chair and stomped toward Troy's parents.

"I need to talk to Troy, Coach" he firmly stated.

Coach Bolton and his wife were growing tired of Troy's indifference toward the friends he'd known from birth. It wasn't right.

Understandably in the beginning they chose his side, only wanting the best for him and to allow him the distance and space he needed in order to deal with what was happening.

In times like this, family and friends are _the_ key to building a steady support group in order to lean on those who care about you. Troy was growing more angry each day he spent in solitude.

Coach Bolton stood up and stared Chad eye to eye-man to man.

"C'mon Chad" he called over his shoulder.

Grinning like a little kid, he hurried after the man glancing over his shoulder at the curly haired brunette whose eyes sparkled with hope.

* * *

Upon Coach Bolton opening the door, Chad noticed how cold the room was. It had to be a good twenty degrees cooler than in the waiting room, which was pretty brisk feeling as well. He felt despair and it pissed him off.

Coach Bolton took a step forward toward his son whose back was turned as he faced the wall with his knees tucked up to his chest.

"Yeah dad?" he asked in a dark, cold voice before the man had a chance to say a word.

Chad's head snapped up, hardly recognizing the voice void of any and all emotion. He brushed past his dad and began to ask the questions everyone else was too scared to say.

He didn't care if he made Troy 'mad'. His best friend, _their_ captain whom they looked toward for guidance and strength was giving up and if it meant shouting at one another or coming to blows, he was willing to fight to bring him back.

"What are you doing, man? You won't see anyone?"

Coach looked on and Troy did not stir.

"Why are you here?" he hissed.

"Why am I here?! Oh that's rich, _captain_" Chad put an emphasis on the word, taunting him.

"I'm not your captain. Not anymore."

"Bullshit. You know damn well you've been our captain and you're going to continue to be our captain-_captain_" he again dramatized the word causing Troy to reel on him as he chose to finally face his fellow teammate.

His eyes were not covered, so for the first time Chad saw the opaque pools that once were a shade he had dubbed 'ga-ga blue'-much to Troy's chagrin.

"Captains can't be blind, all right?! You might think this is what I need- your crazy antics and one liners? It's not. I need you and everyone else to stay away from me."

"We can't do that captain."

"STOP CALLING ME CAPTAIN!"he bellowed.

"Troy, calm down. You know if you continue to upset yourself the nurses will have to come and-" his father began.

"What? Put me out of my misery? Sedate me again? I don't really care anymore what they do. At least when they put me under I don't have to feel anything. I don't have to appease you people and be somebody I'm not anymore."

"Who are you?" Chad quietly asked, eyeing his friend whose features (besides his eyes) had no changed one bit. He looked healthy, his frame was still strong and bulky given their daily gym and basketball work-outs.

He was met with silence.

"Why are you so angry?" he pressed.

"You wouldn't understand."

"Troy, let us be here for you. Let me be here for you. Christ, Gabriella has been coming here the past week just to sit out there in that damn waiting room by herself! She's waiting for you!"

"I. Don't. Care" he slowly, and rather sinisterly growled.

"Then you don't deserve her. You will never know how much she loves you. She could have left your ass high and dry. A lot of fake girls who only wanted to date you for the popularity and title would have been long gone by now. Gabriella is out there right now-"

Troy made an audible, annoyed sigh.

Chad snapped, pouncing on him, pulling the neck of his hospital gown so they were face to face, noses practically touching.

"She and all the rest of us love you! Wake the hell up. Be the Troy I know you can be."

Devoid of feeling, Troy lazily drawled out,

"Are you good and done? I was resting quietly."

"Fuck you, captain" Chad whispered before charging toward the door, waving off the Coach's gesture for him to not walk away.

Coach Bolton had witnessed the entire conversation. He couldn't believe his ears. His boy- the fighter, the captain, the outgoing young man he had watched grow from birth was a former shell of himself.

"You are going to lose everything, Troy. Don't you understand?"

"I've already lost everything" he resolved, before resuming his former position, knees curled to his chest, head facing the wall, and his vacant eyes open, but not able to focus on the blank wall before him.

* * *

Chad shoved the double doors to the waiting room open. Several dozen pairs of eyes stared in his direction as he strode toward one girl.

"I tried" is all he could muster up the strength to say.

Her eyes clouded over, but to his surprise she smiled and gently thanked him. He'd done good on his promise, and she couldn't ask for more.

Grabbing his gym bag, he dug in his pockets for his car keys. He was frustrated and needed to be by himself.

"C'mon Gab, I'll take you and Tay home" he made a gesture with his hand for the two girls to join him.

Taylor rose to her feet, briefly stretching before gathering her belongings.

Assuming Gabriella was coming, she began to walk off with Chad. Noticing her small friends' absence she turned around, puzzlement spread across her features.

"C'mon Gab, you can spend the night at my place if you want."

"No guys, I'm staying."

They both nervously glanced at one another.

"Gabriella, I don't think that's such a good idea. He's not himself. He barely talked to me, he won't listen."

"I'm going to wait."

Knowing no matter how hard they could try and coax her to leave, they knew the bond she shared with Troy would keep her there until visiting hours were over- just like each day before, for the last week.

She would continue to wait until he was ready.


	18. Amber is the Color of Your Energy

It was 11:40pm, leaving only twenty minutes left of visiting hours at the hospital before Gabriella would have to pack her belongings and once again leave Troy behind.

She glanced around, noticing she was alone in the waiting room. She let out a heavy sigh as she twisted her long flowing locks into a ponytail. Shifting in her seat, an idea crossed her mind.

_Sneak in to see him. _

Could she? What if she upset him more? Nurses would be called, another sedative would be administered to calm Troy's nerves, and the hospital may or may not place a ban on her from even visiting the premises.

It was worth it.

She quietly tip-toed toward the large silver double doors, harshly sucking in her breath as Coach Bolton appeared. He looked worn out and sleep-deprived. She watched through narrowed eyes as he made his way toward the twenty-four hour cafeteria.

Now was her chance.

Without thought, and with no real plan if Troy reacted adversely, she sprinted as fast as she could toward his room- Number Seventeen.

Her hair whipped the nape of her neck as she rounded her final corner. She came to a skidding halt when she spotted the little girl she'd seen the night Troy had been admitted to the hospital sitting Indian-style in the hallway playing with a teddy bear.

The little girl happily acknowledged the dark-haired familiar teen and Gabriella smiled back, noticing a small amount of peach fuzz growing on top of her formerly clean, bald scalp. She was getting better.

"Hi" Gabriella quietly whispered.

"Hi…" the girl whispered back.

"I don't have much time. Can you keep a secret and be a big girl and do me a favor?"

"Yep! I'm five!" the girl exclaimed.

"Shhh" Gabriella placed her index finger against her lips. "Well five is a very big girl. I am going to this room right here." she pointed to Troy's room.

"If anyone- a doctor, a nurse, or an adult comes to this door, I want you to bang on the wall as loud as you can. Think you can do that?" her eyes sparkled as she looked at the little girl.

"Yes."

"Thank you."

"Stephanie" the little girl whispered.

"What was that?" Gabriella asked, turning around just as she went to reach for the door handle to Troy's room.

"My name, silly! It's Stephanie!"

Gabriella beamed.

"Thank you Stephanie. I'm Gabriella."

Stephanie waved one last time as she watched the teen girl slide into the room, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Gabriella's heart was racing. Never had she been more terrified. Her heart sank noting that she was petrified to approach the man she loved.

Hearing the sound of metal hit the floor caused her to snap her head up, eyes alert and frightened.

"Nurse?" Troy called out.

Gabriella held her breath.

"Nurse?" he tried again, swearing he'd heard someone enter the room.

"I dropped my spoon. I'm sorry, could you grab it for me- I cant…" his voice trailed off from the hardship of having to voice aloud his weakened state of being. He still wasn't comfortable expressing his emotions regarding the loss of sight.

She had to make a decision. She could either run from the room or make a movement forward and hope Troy would listen.

One step at a time, she made her way further into the room.

Troy turned his face toward the door. He noted the delicate, swift steps of the person who had just entered the room.

Squinting, he noticed a hue that wasn't grey. Blinking hard, hoping his eyes weren't tricking him, he focused more intently on the soft hint of color. There it was. Some sort of faint, almost unrecognizable, but none the less amber-like hue growing larger and larger.

Writing it off as his imagination playing some cruel joke on him, he ignored the new-found light source and waited for the attendant to hand him his spoon as he finished his late night snack of chicken noodle soup.

Gabriella looked on through tear-clouded eyes as Troy sat, lightly rubbing the sides of his temples. He looked distraught and she fought back the urge to engulf him in her arms.

Instead, she bent down to retrieve the dropped spoon and walked over to the sink, quickly rinsing off the utensil before returning to stand next to the bed.

"Thanks…" he mumbled as her arm extended out and he attempted to eat. She watched the struggle, judging from his wet-spotted hospital gown that he'd missed his mouth several times. It was a sad observation, although a part of her heart soared in watching him try. The fact that he was trying showed his desire to fight. He wasn't lost.

Spooning the soup toward his mouth, he sighed heavily when a tiny bit of broth dribbled down his chin.

"I can't do this" he whispered. "Could you help me?" he quietly asked.

Freezing momentarily, Gabriella contemplated coming clean and revealing her identity, but feared Troy's indeterminate reaction. She reached forward, making sure not to brush her fingers across his and gingerly dipped the spoon into the bowl.

With one hand she daintily wiped at his chin, while the other offered a portion of food as he moved forward, smelling out the source and location of the spoon, until he opened his mouth, slowly capturing it between his lips.

It felt odd to have someone feeding him, but it proved too challenging at times with his sense of depth now altered drastically where often times he missed his mouth. He was slowly learning how to take care of himself again.

Leaning back, he closed his eyes and spoke. Maybe it was directed toward the nurse, maybe it was to himself, but he needed to voice aloud the heavy weight anchored atop his heart.

"I miss her so much. Gabriella-" he began.

Her eyes widened, but she remained silent.

"She's out there, you know?" he asked (more to himself than the other person in the room.)

"She's out there waiting for me, and I'm too much of a coward to let her see me. It's not easy being cooped up in here. My parents work all day and the nurses come and go, but that's about it. It's just getting lonely-"

His voice broke momentarily, raw emotion hitting him to the core. He coughed, clearing his throat.

"I need her and I don't really know how to ask for that. It's too much to really ask of one person. She's got so much ahead of her. College, honors societies, meeting new people, and enjoying life. I don't want her to give up a moment of that for me. Not to stay behind trying to look after a blind guy."

He chewed thoughtfully as she offered another spoonful of soup.

"You know what's kind of crazy? It's like I can feel her here with me now."

'_You have no idea…' _Gabriella thought to herself.

"She's this amazing girl. I'm sure you've seen her out in the waiting room? Small, long curly brown hair, gorgeous face…" his voice trailed off as a small smile graced his features while he imagined her petite form.

Had she heard enough? Perhaps it was time to say something. But what could she possibly say? 'Hi Troy, it's me!' 'I snuck back here in a moment of weakness and made a pact with a five-year old patient down the hall.'

Nothing she played over in her head seemed to make sense, so she opted on awkward silence much to the chagrin of her conscious that screamed to say something to him.

"You know what, you're absolutely right! This is crazy. _I _must be crazy to have this wonderful woman out there and I'm not saying a word to her. Gabriella won't judge me. She gets me better than anyone else."

Her soft brown eyes looked on in puzzlement as Troy conducted an entire conversation with himself, although the amused look on her face told the truth that she was overjoyed in his revelations.

Scraping up the last bits of noodle and chicken, Troy opened his mouth. For the first time he wondered to himself why the woman feeding him had been so quiet. Was she even listening?

"I must have talked your ear off. Sorry about that" he offered.

Gabriella wiped around his mouth one more time before lifting the tray and setting it over on the counter-top to be taken away by the night-staff. She ran her hands across her sweatpants while her eyes roamed over the walls, scanning the room for a clock.

12:01am.

She needed to get going. Her mom would no doubt be upset about her late arrival home.

Upon her first step toward the door, Troy spoke.

"Thank you for listening" he called out.

A vibrant smile lit up her face.

"Is there anything else you need before I go?" she asked.

Troy's mouth dropped for a moment, causing Gabriella to panic. Instantly, his features brightened and for the first time in weeks, he smiled his familiar toothy grin in her direction.

She ran to his bedside, his outstretched arms keeping her at a distance as he ran a hand lightly across one cheek, then the other. His forefinger traced an invisible line along the fullness of her lips as she made a small whimper indicating the missed absence of his touch. He memorized every crease, crevice, and ounce of soft porcelain skin.

"Hey you" he barely whispered, his thumb wiping at the tears that now streamed down her face as she replied back,

"Hi wildcat."

* * *

Coach Bolton had witnessed the last moments of the two young teens' conversation. He'd returned back from the cafeteria, shocked to see Gabriella putting away a food tray and even more floored that Troy seemed at peace for once.

Quietly, he had chosen to observe thier interactions rather than disturb the two, even if it was past visiting hours.

He smiled to himself as he gently backed away from the room. Gabriella Montez was in fact a lot stronger than her petite 5'1" frame gave away. With her by his side, he knew Troy could get through anything.

* * *

"I love you…" Gabriella cooed, nestling closer to his body. She now lay wrapped in his arms atop the hospital bed.

"I love you too. I'm so sorry for what I've put you through. It wasn't right."

She silently nodded her head, accepting his apology wholeheartedly. Tilting her head up, she grimaced upon laying eyes on the clock.

1:04am.

"Troy, I wish I could stay, but I've got to get going. My mom's going to kill me-" she began.

"If she hasn't already called a county search team to arms" he lightly chuckled.

Hearing him laugh put her at ease. It had been too long since he'd smiled, let alone outwardly expressed happiness.

"I'll be here tomorrow, okay?"

"Baby, you don't have to come every day. I know you're not upset, and I want you here too, but I don't deserve-"

"I will see you tomorrow, Troy. Goodnight" she resolved.

He held her close for a few more moments, breathing in her scent deeply so as to help aide his slumber by falling asleep with thoughts of her floral scent surrounding him that night.

"Okay. Goodnight Gabriella."

He felt her lithe body sit upright before she found her footing and made her way toward the door.

Turning his head, he watched the unmistakable amber hue fade to black.


	19. Did You Do This?

Sharpay had been out of town the past week, having traveled to New York to visit various performing art institutes she'd been accepted into. For the first time in her eighteen years she felt in her element, surrounded by other teens her age that shared a passion (and natural flair) for the dramatic arts.

Her demeanor had changed dramatically. Color permanently graced her cheeks, emitting a glow about her that even the tour guides noticed as she listened closely during the various orientations and campus guides.

As the small group made their way to the freshman dormitories, Sharpay's hand quickly shot up into the air.

"Yes Sharpay, do you have a question?"

"Are private rooms available on request?"

"For an additional semester fee, yes single occupant rooms are available on a first come first serve basis."

"Fabulous. I assume the rooms have central air conditioning units with interchangeable air filter and purification capabilities?" she added, not batting an eyelash.

"Uh- yes, I believe so…" the handsome male guide stammered.

She beamed brightly and with a dramatic toss of her blond locks kept in step at the front of the group right alongside the rather cute twenty-something thespian major who served as their tour guide that afternoon.

* * *

"Gabriella?" Troy called out, noticing the familiar and welcome faint hue he instantly was able to associate her presence with.

The odd thing about whenever Gabriella approached in relation to everything else was that all other colors seemed dull, holding firm to the lazy grey shade that seemed to permeate his vision.

"Hey wildcat" she perkily replied, taking her spot right next to his hospital bed, quickly discarding of her satchel onto the floor before bending down to place a lingering kiss upon his lips.

Her eyes opened in a brief moment of shock as she felt Troy's anxious tongue glide over her lower lip in a bid for her to deepen the kiss.

Responding instantly she opened her mouth wider and found herself pleasantly engaging in their first 'real' kiss since his accident.

His hands roamed over her sides aimlessly, one palm firmly finding solace upon her hips, the other situated within her abundance of curls near the nape of her neck, bringing her closer as he revealed in the taste of her upon him.

Reluctantly, knowing nurses or Troy's parents could walk in at any moment, and fearing they may not find making out to be conducive in aiding Troy in a speedy recovery, Gabriella slowly pulled back, giggling lightly when she felt Troy's grip stiffen, holding her in place as a groan of protest sounded in the back of his throat.

"You're no fun" he pouted.

"Troy… you're in the hospital. Besides, your parents could come in any second…" she countered.

"My lips aren't broken though" he mumbled, smirking slightly when he felt her lips hungrily attack his once more.

After several moments of bliss, Gabriella abruptly pulled back, a light smacking sound emitting as she pried her lips from his swollen buds.

"All right stud" she chuckled.

"Gabi…" he whispered.

A lingering moment of lust-filled longing went on between the two as they silently communicated.

"I know" she shrugged dejectedly.

"This is so hard-" he began.

"Troy, I'm not going anywhere. I want you just as badly, but I can wait. We waited almost a year and a half to really move forward in _that_ department" she punctuated her word choice to receive a playful grin from him.

"-and I can wait patiently while you get better to be close again." she finished.

"I've never been so horny" he candidly blurted out.

"Well… you have alone time, don't you?"

"Yeah…" he casually answered, not picking up on her suggestion.

Suddenly her statement clicked as the dots were connected.

"Oh…" he nodded, "yeah, I'm not so sure how good of an idea that would be given that I can't very well gage if anyone is approaching or not."

"I'm sorry wildcat…" she barely voiced, reaching out to brush back his bangs from his forehead, smiling when he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.

"But now that I have you here as a look-out-" he began.

"Troy!" she playfully slapped at his arm.

* * *

"But- I thought. He was doing fine! How-" Sharpay spluttered. She had just been picked up at the airport having returned home from her four day trip to New York City.

Ryan had begun filling her in on Troy's shocking turn for the worse. She now sat, hands tightly clasped upon her lap and all the color had drained from her face. Her voice shook slightly from the sheer fear that her actions were the direct result of Troy's second hospitalization.

"Shar, it happened out of nowhere. He was at basketball practice, and-"

"Take me there" she interrupted.

"To the hospital? I don't know. He just started to allow visitors to come see him. He was holed up for an entire week. He didn't even let Gabriella-"

"Take me there. Now" she firmly resolved.

Ryan sighed heavily, but took the next exit, pressing his foot further down on the gas pedal.

* * *

"Basically, Pip has now received a large sum of money from an anonymous benefactor to open an art gallery" Gabriella explained.

"Wait. Some old cook just handed him millions of dollars? To doodle full-time?" Troy asked, furrowing his brow.

"Well… for lack of a better explanation, yes."

"That's dumb" Troy scoffed.

"Calling one of the greatest works of literature dumb couldn't be further from the truth. Charles Dickens has a way with words and story-telling that not only engages the audience, he gives his characters mannerisms and dialogue that connect on a more human level. It's nothing short of brilliance" Gabriella debated.

Troy grinned, loving how something as small as calling a book silly could get his incredible girlfriend all fired up in the cutest of ways.

"Why are you smiling like that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him, annoyance still evident in her voice that he had just dissed Dickens.

"You're cute."

She rolled her eyes, clicking her gums.

"Even when you roll your eyes like that."

"How'd you know I rolled my eyes?" she asked, curiosity lacing her tone.

"I heard your eyes moving" he deadpanned.

"Really?" she innocently asked.

He broke into a fit of laughter, doubling over as his fists pounded against the mattress.

Gabriella blushed and felt her cheeks warm as the realization that he'd only been pulling her leg hit her.

Troy could sense her pouting and reached a consoling hand out to rub her thigh.

"Aw, poor baby" he cooed.

"Don't poor baby me. You have one week to finish this novel and get your report recorded."

Troy's teachers and principal Matsui had met upon learning Troy was back in the hospital. Although East High had classes for the disabled and hearing challenged, these courses appealed to teens that had learned sign language and braille code in primary school stemming from deaf and blindness from child-birth. Seeing as Troy had not yet learned to read braille, they had to discuss other options for the twelve credits- shy of graduation senior to still earn his high school diploma on time.

After a round of suggestions, outlines, and open lines of communication being established, all of Troy's teachers had agreed that he could submit work through audio cassette tapes. A school-appointed tutor or his parents could read the questions aloud and Troy could provide the answers through audio recordings.

This applied to his math, foreign language, and English courses. Furthermore, his English books were allowed to be listened to on audio books or by simply listening to an approved film version of the last two novels the senior class needed to read.

Scranton tests would be conducted in the hospital with an approved proctor, and additional time would be allotted.

Gabriella eagerly signed on to be one of Troy's two school-appointed tutors, taking turns with none other than Taylor who had also been approached to assist Troy.

"I'm sorry babe, but it was the prefect set-up. You walked right into it" he grinned.

Huffing once more, Gabriella lifted herself from her seated position atop Troy's covers. She straightened up, grabbing the remote control.

"_You _continue listening. I am going to the bathroom" she replied, punching the pause button to resume the film.

"I love you" Troy called out in a sing-song voice.

"Yeah, yeah" she called over her shoulder. She peeked her head out from the bathroom, quipping "I love you too" before shutting the door.

Troy grinned and settled further into his pillows as he let out an audible sigh at Gwyneth Paltrow's crying that had resumed.

* * *

Sharpay raced down the hallway.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears as her blond tendrils flowed behind her.

Frantically glancing at the door numbers, she cursed under her breath as she continued down the corridor to door number 17.

Finally spotting the correct digits, she ran into the room, panting as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Troy!" she called out.

"Sharpay?" he asked, sitting further upright, confusion apparent in the crease of his forehead.

"Troy- I…" her voice broke as she walked toward him noticing the vacant look in his eyes.

This was her fault.

She sobbed heavily, placing both hands over her face as she gulped for air.

"Sharpay, it's all right. Are you okay?" Troy nervously questioned.

"WHY ARE YOU ASKING IF I'M ALL RIGHT?!" she suddenly bellowed, pure venom poisoning her hysterical tone.

"This is all my fault! _I _did this to you! It's all my fault. Oh my god" her face turned an ashen shade as the weight of voicing aloud that Troy's hell was of her own making hit her to the core.

"What have I done?" she whimpered.

Troy sat in silence, not able to say a word. There was nothing to say, no way to comfort her, his confused emotions clouding his thoughts. He wanted to be angry, to yell, to ask her why she did this, but another part of him fought to keep his anger at bay.

"What have I done…" her voice trailed off as she stared at the once perfect, indestructible radiant young man before her.

In one purely selfish, thoughtless moment she had ripped away the life he'd come to known. Basketball, college, and every aspect of his life was tarnished and regulated to hopeful doctors and cutting edge medical advancements.

Both Troy and Sharpays' heads whipped around as they heard a door open within the silent bedroom.

Remembering Gabriella had been in the bathroom the whole time, Troy grimaced before quickly spluttering,

"Gabriella, it's not what you think. Sharpay is just-"

Her small features were hardened. Her eyes bore a hole through the lithe blond. No expression but blank concentration graced her stony stare.

Sharpay swallowed, cowering back slightly. Although her throat felt like sandpaper, she struggled to form a coherent sentence.

"H-h-hi Gabriel-"she began.

"Don't." she hissed.

"Gabriella, please just listen to me" Troy pleaded.

"**DON'T**!" she shrieked in Troy's direction.

His lips set in a thin line as he closed his mouth.

"I need a word with you outside" Gabriella growled, briskly brushing past the girl making sure to keep her distance. If she so much as touched her, she'd no longer have control over her feelings.

"Now!" she practically snarled.

Head lowered and eyes downcast Sharpay quietly followed.

Troy was left sitting, wringing his hands as he closed his eyes knowing deep down that nothing good could come of this.

* * *

Nostrils flaring, Gabriella reeled on the girl as her high heels clacked to an alarming halt behind her.

"So this-" she flung her hand in the direction of Troy's room "is all your fault?"

Sharpay nervously glanced around. Her mouth felt dry and her eyes fluttered. 'Admit it' a voice inside her head screamed.

"I knew you were difficult, Sharpay. I knew that- _**don't **_interrupt me!" Gabriella warned as Sharpay went to open her mouth.

The fire in her eyes was unsettling.

"I knew that you could be arrogant, spoiled, and dismissive. But _this_? This is an all time low you've hit."

She took a step closer to the girl, lowering her voice to a dangerous whisper.

"His sight is gone now because of you. No apology on earth will give him back the life he knew. The life _you_ took away from him."

Sharpay's eyes stung as her orbs pooled with tears.

"So, I'm going to ask you one more time, and I'd chose my words wisely if I were you. Did you or did you not have something to do with what caused all this?"

The sight of a single, lone tear that slipped down the girl's face was all the confirmation she needed.

In slight shock, although she feared the girl had something to do with the situation but there was a naïve part of her- the optimism she carried in her spirit wanting it to be a lie, wanting it to be that it was all a mistake, caused Gabriella to gasp, clamping a shaky hand over her mouth as her eyes widened in fright that Sharpay could do something so evil.

The tears now fell at a faster pace and she sniffled.

After several moments, struggling to regain what little ounce of composure she could muster, she sighed, opening her mouth to speak.

A searing sting, followed by unfiltered pain surged upon her face as she clutched her right cheek with both hands

It all happened so fast that neither girl had time to properly digest what had transpired.

Gabriella stood, breathing hard, her chest heaving up and down.

Sharpay gripped her cheek as a loud series of guttural sobs took hold of her small frame as her shoulders began to shake.

Coach Bolton rounded the corner to find the two girls, Gabriella looking ready to pounce and Sharpay clutching her face as she sobbed. Putting two and two together at what just occurred, he surged forward.

"All right ladies, break it up!" his firm voice barked.

Gabriella stood her ground, terrifying, all-consuming anger pulsating through her veins.

"Gabriella, what is the meaning of all this?" Coach Bolton tested, worried at the girls' brazen behavior.

A hallow, disgusted laugh emitted from her throat.

"Gee Coach Bolton, I'd ask Sharpay what all this means-" she casually spat the words, turning on her heel to head toward the lobby.

She called out over her shoulder, aloof, finality in her voice as she sneered, "I mean, she's the reason why Troy's here."

With that, Gabriella walked away leaving a shell-shocked Coach Bolton and a broken Sharpay to piece together what happened.


	20. Over

"Your expulsion at East High will be determined by Friday, April the 17th at 2pm among the school's board of directors. In the meantime, I hereby formally suspend you from the school grounds until further notice" principal Matsui announced to the blond, frail looking girl sitting before him.

She gently wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing the numb limbs. She felt nothing.

"Furthermore," he continued "you are not allowed to attend the junior-senior East High prom under any circumstances. Your name has been withdrawn effect immediately from prom queen nominations Your part in the spring play of Wicked will be handed down to whomever the appointed understudy is. If the board should grant you permission to graduate, you will be banned from attending the ceremony and/or any activities leading up to graduation that are held in honor of the senior class including senior breakfast, awards night, and the annual senior camping trip. Your diploma, should you receive one, will be mailed to your home address."

Salty tears silently ran down her face, stinging her already swollen eyes as she continued to rub her arms, latching onto the repetitive movement in order to not completely let go.

"For two hours after school each weekday and every Saturday from 9am to 3pm you will be helping the custodians with whatever duties they need assistance with, whether it be cleaning bathrooms, scraping gum from under classroom desks, vacuuming, or mopping. Head custodian Brian Wilkes will be taking attendance to make sure you complete these daily tasks efficiently. No tardiness or absences will be tolerated or excused."

This was what she deserved. Silently she ached for the decision of the board to simply be a unanimous vote for expulsion.

"Last but not least, the yearbook staff has already been informed to include only your class photo. Miss Evans, we here at East High pride ourselves in school spirit, academic excellence, and the teachers, staff, and student body work together to make sure these and all other elements of the wildcat name are represented on a daily basis year-round. Your actions mock the objectives of this credence, while endangering the welfare of one of our brightest athletes who gives back to the school. I will see to it, and do everything in my power that your name and the negative reputation along with it are no longer associated with East High school district. The purely malicious actions as you have exhibited will be handled with absolutely zero tolerance. Do you understand?" he cocked an eyebrow in her direction, his intense stare unfaltering from her form.

"Yes sir" she whispered.

For a moment he was taken aback at the sound of her haunting voice. He'd known the Evans family most of his life, having gone to primary school with both her parents. He felt no guilt in handing down her punishment no matter how close he had been with her father growing up.

The state of Albuquerque had gone out on a limb granting far too many loans, school instruments, athletic jerseys and equipment, and the board had worked tirelessly to improve East High's testing skills to obtain their prided blue-ribbon school status. He would not see it be made a farce. Her selfish actions threatened to falsify everything he'd worked hard for.

He would not stand for it.

Not for a second.

"You may go now" he resolved, watching as she gathered her pink school tote and quietly, not making a single voluntary protest or whisper, gently closed the door behind her.

Rubbing his temples he sighed heavily and closed his eyes.

* * *

Ryan stiffened as his older sister exited the principal's office. His tired eyes met hers and he gave a small smile. They'd had a long night after she got home from the hospital.

_The Bolton's had already made a phone-call to their parents informing them of Sharpay's admission of causing the accident which resulted in Troy's injuries._

_Upon walking through the front door, their father reeled on them._

"_Upstairs" came his grim voice._

_Sharpay's shoulders sulked as she followed Ryan._

"_Just Ryan. Sharpay, in the living room. Now."_

_She gave her brother a look of absolute fear, but reclined, trailing after her father._

_Ryan could hear the shouting from downstairs. _

"_How could you do this?! Sully the Evans family name this way?! I have worked hard to provide you and your brother with everything under the sun and this is the thanks I get? The school board wants you expelled! EXPELLED! You can't get into a good university with an expulsion on your transcripts. We have a family standard to maintain. You go to college, you graduate, you get a good job, and you build your assets so you can have a nice home and provide well for yourself. Have I not given you everything?!" he barked._

"_Daddy I'm sorry!" Ryan heard Sharpay sob._

"_Well I'm sorry too. I've already made a call to Bob at the dealership. Someone will be by in the morning to pick up the convertible. It's going back."_

_Ryan's eyes widened to the size of saucers at this. Sharpay loved her car. It was her pride and joy. He listened closely, scooting further toward the door-frame and frowned hearing her cries intensify._

"_Sweetie, I've placed a call to Doctor Stevens, he's an old family friend. You have an appointment tomorrow afternoon for a consultation."_

"_W-w-hy?" Sharpay stuttered._

"_Your father and I agreed that you should be…" her mother hesitated, "evaluated. It's just a way for you to have someone to talk to in order to sort through why you would do something like that. Not only have you jeopardized your future academic career, you've committed a crime. The Bolton's may press charges."_

"_Luckily they haven't even brought forth that idea" her father sighed._

"…_but they could" her mother finished. _

_At that moment Sharpay's phone began to ring inside her bag, the beginning notes of "Barbie Girl" ringing through the uncomfortable air._

_Her father extended his arm._

_With a shaky hand, she handed over the bedazzled blackberry knowing that too was being taken away from her._

"_Why?" he asked, looking her straight in the eyes._

"_I'm sorry…" she whispered._

"_I'm so disappointed in you Sharpay. Go to your room" her father dejectedly announced._

_With that, she briskly exited the room, running halfway up the stairs, her stomach threatening to release at any moment. Ryan didn't have a chance to scramble from his position near the front of his room, nor did he need to._

_Sharpay ran at full speed across the hallway toward her wing, flinging open the bedroom door and falling to her knees. Ryan squeezed his eyes shut as he listened to the muffled sounds of her retching into a wastebasket she'd managed to grab hold of before succumbing to the sickness._

_That night both twins lay in their separate beds, covers drawn clear up to their chins. Their connection was strong- no matter how much bickering they did, Ryan knew Sharpay better than anyone and vice versa. _

_Glistening tears ran down both their faces as the melancholy sadness took hold of the night._

She looked about ready to cry as he joined her side, walking down the hallway knowing without having ask that she had been suspended. He would drive her home seeing as his school day didn't technically start until second period given his small eight credit semester.

He fought the urge to wrap a comforting arm around her shoulder. Of course he was concerned that she would do such a thing- rig lighting to purposely fall, but a deeper part of him knew she'd done it without thinking. She'd done it to cause a stir, not seriously harm anyone.

As they walked, the various conversations and laughing began to subside. Passing by the throngs of students, everyone began to gape at her.

Rumor spread fast from last night's revelations and the whole school was buzzing.

"_I heard she's going to juvie!" a freshman squealed._

"_Did you guys hear Gabriella had to be pulled off her at the hospital? She totally kicked her ass!" a junior baseball player chuckled._

"_I can't believe it was Sharpay…" Kelsi barely whispered._

"_We should slash her tires for what she did to Troy" the head varsity cheerleader mulled over aloud._

"_No use. Didn't you hear? Her dad totally freaked and already had her car sent back to the dealership. I heard it cost a fortune for him to get the detailing and monogramming done. What a waste…" a red-headed cheerleader countered._

"_Do you think she'd sleep with me now?" one of the wrestlers asked his friend, hopeful that the girl's sad state might finally score him an evening with the blond he'd been chasing after for years._

"BITCH!!" an anonymous voice cried out at Sharpay.

Her body became tense and her steps faltered slightly, but she continued to trudge forward, not daring to pick up her pace, but keeping the steady footsteps in sync with her brother.

"Yeah, you're a bitch!" a small voice hissed.

Sharpay didn't bother seeking the owner to the outcries of hate.

Ryan couldn't take it anymore. She was being strong and fighting. He knew the moment she got home she'd lock herself in her room and cry the rest of the day.

Glaring from side to side at the gawking crowd of students, Ryan lifted his arm and pulled Sharpay into his side. He heard a gasp emit from her. She was struggling to keep herself in control.

Gripping her shoulder tightly for reassurance they finally made it toward the double doors.

* * *

As they descended the stairs Gabriella was just being dropped off by her mother.

She too had a rough evening.

"_Mija?!" came her mother's concerned voice as her footsteps clamored toward the foyer._

"_Mommy, I'm okay" she sighed._

"_Mija what in the world is going on. Mr. Bolton called. You hit someone?"_

"_I know, I shouldn't have, it happened so fast and I was just so angry with her. I-"_

"_Is it true that she caused the accident?" her mother interrupted._

_Gabriella nodded solemnly._

"_It was meant for me" she confided._

_Her mother's eyes filled with tears,_

"_My God…" she whispered._

_Gabriella inched forward until her mother engulfed her in her arms. Her body shook from the wave of emotion pouring out of her. She cried for Troy, for Sharpay (the good in Gabriella still knew that the girl hadn't truly meant bodily harm), and she cried for the series of events to follow Sharpay's admission. Their senior year was crumbling to pieces before her eyes and it terrified her._

_The two stood together, the front door still open, consoling one another._

As her mother's van pulled away, Gabriella straightened her stance and was met face to face with the sight of the Evan's twins descending down the stairs.

Their pale similar features, expressionless blue-grey eyes, and the site of Ryan clinging to Sharpay's shoulders for support sent a shiver down her spine. She knew things would be difficult, but seeing it with her own eyes proved harder than any mental preparation could soften.

Neither sibling looked in her direction although they knew she was there.

Taylor hurried across the front lawn noticing her best friend standing alone, staring in slight shock as the two blonds made their way through the student body parking lot.

"You all right?" she asked upon coming to a halt beside her frame.

They watched as Ryan helped lower Sharpay into the black sports car, eyes casting downward in some form of slight shame or embarrassment as he bent forward to fasten her seat belt across her hips. The girl looked like a ghost. Her skin seemed translucent.

Their eyes followed the car as it sped off. A foul tension permeated the air as students nervously shuffled around, whispers of gossip and lies growing thicker by the second as dozens of pairs of eyes concentrated on the petite curly-haired girl left standing by the front steps.

"It's all in shambles…" Gabriella whispered.

Taylor stole a glance at her friend whose voice teetered upon pained remorse.

"Everything we knew, any hope we had in our minds of how our senior year would end is over, Tay. It's all over."


	21. Apologies

East High was now changed. After Sharpay's antics had been exposed to everyone, there were two positions most people felt toward her. Anger or bewilderment.

Gabriella found herself in the difficult position of feeling a surging manifestation of both.

She was downright livid with the girl. How could she do such a thing? Was she stupid? Jealous? Ignorant? A raving, homicidal maniac? Hell, she might just be all those things and more.

But the Gabriella that everyone knew, the core of her being which caused people to feel at ease in her presence and the part that Troy loved most, her ability to see the good in people, no matter what, had her feeling conflicted emotions of utter pity toward Sharpay.

Her entire high school experience was on the verge of being brought to a crashing halt if the East school district Board of Education expelled her.

Gabriella could not ignore that hard, cold fact that Sharpay faced the possibility of expulsion. No matter how much she struggled to push away any thoughts of actual empathy for someone who could hurt the man she loved desperately.

Ever fiber of her being loved Troy.

…and he had lied to her.

Why?

He had smiled to her face, assured her that Sharpay had been sincere with her invitation to the Spring bbq party, and laughed in their home, under the Evans' roof as if everything were fine.

She shuddered suddenly, wrapping the blanket she had drug outside to her balcony. She now sat in her papasan chair tucked in the corner to do her thinking in peace. Her room had too many painful memories.

A corkboard next to her ivory desk was plastered with photos from last year's decathlon championship, their summer at the Lava Springs Country Club, and she and Troy in costume from the spring production of "Twinkle Towne".

Her dressers and nightstand were littered with framed photos of she and Troy from various school dances, basketball games, weekend jaunts to the lake, and candid snapshots the two took of one another.

The most prized photo- nestled discretely between her lampshade and whatever novel she was in the process of reading was a picture she'd taken one afternoon, as a joke, while Troy napped in her bedroom.

His dusky locks lay strewn across his forehead, his eyes shut, one arm tucked under his cheek and the other curled against the pillow at his side as he rested peacefully.

She'd quietly opened her middle desk drawer to capture the moment, smirking at the thought of using it as blackmail.

Instead, it was now the first image she woke to and the last thing she saw before allowing slumber to take hold- and she wouldn't have it any other way.

The mementos of good times, forever captured in photographs mocked her. Rather than give in to the urge to sweep them all from her countertop in one frustrated motion, she chose to go outside and just sit.

Crying was pointless. Her tears wouldn't bring back Troy's sight. Screaming was out of the question, for her voice would go raw from the unabashed rage she felt.

Hearing her phone vibrate, she glanced over and sighed heavily.

Right now, she needed nothing but silence.

* * *

"She's not answering, Troy…" Taylor lamented as she snapped her phone shut.

Taylor had been covering for Gabriella the last two days at the hospital when her friend had come to her, red eyed and lightly hiccupping as she expressed her need for space right now, which she understood.

It has been difficult for everyone.

Ryan was no longer on speaking terms with the other wildcats. It was not anger toward any of them, and that was a silent acceptance they all respected.

He just couldn't stomach the side glances, the pleading eyes, the unanswered questions- the huge pink elephant in the room that he knew everyone wanted to discuss which was what his sister had done.

Taylor extracted a book from her backpack and opened the pages to the bookmarked section.

"All right, so today in physics we learned the laws of thermodynamics, which basically relates to the exact manifestations of the law of conservation of mass-energy as it relates to thermodynamic instances, enabling the notion of temperatures to exist…"

"I don't get it" Troy groaned.

"Well, I'm not done explaining, Troy. It's really simple, see if you just take-"

"No, not that, Tay. Although I don't understand thyroid dynamics either" he interrupted.

She chuckled softly at his improper annunciation of thermodynamics, but paused abruptly when he turned solemn.

"Are you all right?" she timidly asked.

"What do I do to make this right?" he quietly asked, kneading his fingers in a nervous manner.

"You talk to her. Tell her the truth. You are _so _close to losing her if you let one more lie get in the way. Last summer was bad enough, but she forgave you. You might not be so lucky this next time."

It wasn't what he wanted to hear, but he knew it was nothing short of the truth. He'd wronged her twice now when all he'd ever wanted, ever needed to feel secure in this life or any other was to know that she was protected.

In his haste to nurture her feelings, he lost sight of honesty and lied to her face.

"How can I talk to her when she won't listen to me?"

"Easy…" Taylor began.

She set down her book, returning it to her bag and reached forward to Troy's bedside.

Picking up the black tape recorder they used to aide in completing his homework questions, she pushed the cool plastic into his hands, gently urging him with two words.

"The truth."

She left the room, letting him know she would knock first before entering again.

Without barriers of the arrogant cockiness that afflicted his behavior from time to time, with nothing but pure, heartfelt regret and uneasiness that he was slowly losing the single most important person to his heart, he pushed the red 'record' button.

* * *

Jack and Lucille Bolton had visited with Troy earlier in the afternoon, but both needed an evening at home to mail out bills, clean out the refrigerator full of long-forgotten leftovers, and try to at least get one restful night of sleep in their own bed.

They now sat in the dining room, silently eating their first home cooked meal in weeks, a simple dish of spaghetti and meat sauce and a small dinner salad Lucille had put together.

She picked at the vegetables, rotating a cherry tomato around her plate.

It was Jack who spoke first.

"She shouldn't be expelled" he croaked.

Lucille steadied her shaking hand upon hearing this. She dared not look up for there was no telling what her initial reaction may be.

Jack sighed, allowing his utensils to drop loudly against the porcelain dishes as he began to rub his temples, trying to make sense of what it is he felt should be done regarding Sharpay Evans.

It had been bothering him since he'd heard news of her impending expulsion.

The girl had committed a heinous crime. All signs pointed to an unstable, out of control, selfish child. The severity of Troy's injuries alone alluded to how outrageous her deception reached.

He _should_ seek revenge. They _could_ press charges and clean up nicely in court. He and his wife would never have to work another day of their lives upon the amount they could win in a suit against the Evan's family.

But it felt wrong.

To ruin not one, but two lives in the wake of such loss felt wrong in the pit of his stomach, and he refused to fight that bubbling sensation even against his better, rational judgment.

"Troy is in the hospital" he began.

Lucille waited.

"Our boy-" they both looked into each others' eyes upon this statement,

"may never see again. I know you two might think I walk around this household like some basketball obsessed tyrant, but I don't give a shit about the scholarships. The trophies, the championships, none of it means anything. Not when Troy is hurt, and not when he is not here, in our home-" his voice broke as his thoughts clouded in a sea of despair.

"It's so god damn quiet in here. Usually we've got televisions going, his music is thumping, he's running up and down these stairs, or out back practicing. He's such a good kid, Lucille," his eyes sparkled with flashbacks of Troy bounding happily around the house as a toddler, playing with his friends in elementary school, even arguing with his mother about curfew as a teen.

Tears fogged her vision.

"You and I, but especially _**you**_, did a good job. You stayed at home with him for all those years. You packed his lunch, you made his bed, you got him up every day for school and shuttled him to practice. _**We **_raised a good kid."

"Now I do not excuse, nor do I hope this comes as an acceptance of what this girl has done to our family, but I will _not_ ruin another life. Troy has a long road to recovery. We're going to have to work every day at this, to help him build back what was taken from him, but I think we need to do something about this expulsion bullshit."

Looking into his wife's eyes, he fought to keep his gaze steady, to ignore the burning sensation in the back of his eyes threatening to break his strength.

He waited while her eyes shifted.

Her nostrils flared and she looked ready to either pounce, scream, or both. Ever so slowly though, he noticed the light come back. The creases in her brow smoothed, and the softness about her returned.

Tears flowed freely from her eyes and she pushed her chair back, letting it fall to the ground.

Quickly she strode over to him.

He braced himself for a slap- something he felt would be deserved for being crazy enough to not want the person who caused their pain to not be punished.

Instead, she knelt down and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck in a loving hug.

Taken aback for a moment, his arms lay numb at his sides, but an outpouring of emotion took hold as he held her tightly against his chest, stroking her hair as she sobbed.

After several minutes, he could feel her tremors subsiding and leaned back in his chair to get a good look at her.

Holding her face in his hands he smiled.

Sniffling, she spoke.

"You are a good man, that's why I married you."

He leaned forward to kiss her softly.

Straightening up and extending her hand, she pulled him to his feet.

"Let's get principal Matsui on the phone."

* * *

Taylor knocked on the door.

"Come in!" came Troy's voice.

"How'd it go?" she asked as she made her way inside the room.

"I told the truth" he shrugged, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

"That's all you can do."

Troy nodded in agreement, carefully opening the tape recorder and reaching out to hand Taylor the cassette tape.

She noticed his actions were deliberate, swift even.

Her brow furrowed as she watched his hand reach out directly to where she stood.

While accepting the cassette, she casually asked,

"So, how'd you know I was standing here?"

"I could hear where you were from here," Troy nonchalantly replied.

'_But I didn't say anything since I first came in' _she thought to herself.

Figuring she was just in a weird mood, given everyone's nerves and high tension, she took up her seat next to Troy and began re-explaining thermodynamics.

Upon packing up her belongings that evening, Troy called out to her in an urgent voice.

"Tay?"

"Yeah?"

"You'll give her the tape right? I mean, I know I'm a jerk, but you won't like give it your dog to use as a toy or accidentally throw it out the window, right?" his cheeks burned knowing that he sounded silly, but he had to make sure Gabriella listened to what he'd said.

Taylor smiled compassionately.

"You have my word of honor, Troy Bolton. Gabriella _will_ get this tape."

He smiled a toothy grin in her direction, bidding her good night and quickly thanking her for the tutor session.

Laying back, he closed his eyes as he realized he'd now thrown all his cards on the table.

All he could do was sit, be patient, and hope that Gabriella listened.

* * *

Gabriella's thoughts were interrupted as her phone began to ring again.

A silent groan went off in her head, but she bent down and retrieved the offending piece of technology.

"Hello…" her far-away voice called out.

"I'm coming over" Taylor deadpanned.

"Tay, it's late and I was just getting ready to go to-"

"It is not and no you weren't. Besides, I'm only dropping something off."

She was met with silence.

"All you have to do is come to the front door, reach out your hand, and you can go back inside."

"Fine" Gabriella sighed.

"Fine" Taylor retorted, although grinning.

Like clock-work, she arrived mere minutes later, rolling her car to a stop just outside the Montez household.

Gathering her fleece blanket around her shoulders, Gabriella drug herself down the stairs and to the front door, where she followed instruction of simply holding her hand out.

Taylor swiftly dropped a cassette tape into the palm of her hand and turned to make her way back toward her vehicle.

Gabriella stared at the cassette.

"I'd put some headphones on if I were you when you go to listen to it" her friend called from over her shoulder.

The engine started and Gabriella retreated back inside her home.

* * *

Ryan stood at the kitchen table, gripping the edges of the marble countertop.

"She's not going to eat it" he flatly announced.

"Well, you can go and try" his mother countered.

"We've been at this for two days now, mom. She's not going to eat it!" he exclaimed in a flabbergasted tone.

His mother looked at him through dark eyes, examining his features.

"Ryan. Go try. Don't make me ask again" she warned.

Letting out an annoyed smack of his tongue against his teeth, he picked up the tray of salad, salmon, and rice pilaf and trudged upstairs to be denied entry into his sisters room.

Upon making it to the top of the stairs, he paused thinking he heard the distinct sound of glass clinking.

Shaking his head, he approached her door and lightly rapped his foot against the bottom of the frame.

"Pay?" he called out.

Silence.

"Pay, c'mon! Just say yes or no. Make _some_ sort of movement so I know you are alive and have not yet starved yourself to death."

Sharpay grabbed at her nightstand blindly, lifting the nearest object and threw it against the door.

Ryan's eyes shut tight as whatever hard object she'd thrown broke against the door hinges.

"Thanks sis…" he muttered under his breath.

He rounded the corner, glaring slightly at his mother whose expression teetered upon slight shock at how quickly his return was.

Marching over to the sink he dropped the tray, causing a loud crashing noise, not caring if the contents spilled onto the floor and counters.

His mother was unfazed by the violent outburst, staring at him with an emotionless look on her face.

"See? Not hungry!" he spat in a sweetly fake voice before taking off upstairs to his room.

* * *

Gabriella stared at the cassette tape. She had gone back to the balcony after Taylor left.

She now sat with an old walkman she'd dug up in one of the unpacked boxes stuffed in the back of her closet.

As per Taylor's advice, she also clutched a pair of black headphones in her small hands.

Her breathing came in heavy gasps, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

She was sad.

She was angry.

…_so_ angry.

And she wasn't exactly sure why.

Hesitating, she plugged the headphones into the walkman.

That was a start, right?

Rolling her eyes, she situated the buds against her earlobes.

She opened the cassette, flipping it in her hands for any indication of what it could be.

A hallow laugh escaped her lips. She knew exactly who this was from, but did she want to hear what he had to say?

She looked out over the horizon, studying the mountains in the distance.

She could do this.

Curling her fingers around the cassette, she made a motion with her arm, lifting the plastic tape above her head, positioning her aim to throw as far and as hard as she could.

She stilled.

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Her hand instinctively reached back, threatening to release as her mind and heart battled against one another.

Letting her arm come crashing down, she jammed the cassette into the walkman, and pushed play.

"_How the hell do you do this… hello?" _came Troy's confused voice.

Without thinking she laughed.

Was she going crazy? One minute she was ready to angrily chuck a cassette tape from her boyfriend who is in the hospital, then she's crying, and now laughing?

"_Hello? Okay, well…" his voice rang out again_.

She closed her eyes, instinctively latching onto the smooth gentleness of his voice.

Eyes closed, head down, heart open, she listened.

"_This thing better be recording all this, or else." he warned._

"_I don't really even know what to say to you right now Gabriella."_

_He paused, nerves taking a hold of him as he fought to find confidence in his voice to just say the only thing she wanted to hear-the truth._

"_You deserved to know from the minute I knew it was Sharpay who had rigged those lights what was going on. I had no right to keep that from you. For that, I'm so sorry. Gabiriella, I am so sorry I've hurt you the way that I did. Not just for this, but for last summer. I know we said we're over it and you forgave me, but you are the last person I ever want to hurt. Since the day I met you, all I ever wanted to do was to love you."_

Her eyes stung as tears came pouring down her cheeks, which she quickly wiped away.

"_and now that I'm in love with you" he continued,_

"_I'm in the position where I'm getting ready to lose you. What is it that you want me to say, that you want me to do to make this right? I got scared. It doesn't make it right, but it's the truth. I woke up from the accident and she came and told me it was her fault a few days later. I did get angry, Gabriella, I did!" he exclaimed._

"_She had rigged the lighting to hit you-" his voice broke at this._

"_If it had fallen on you… I don't know what I would have…" his voice trailed off as he sniffled._

"_I would have never forgiven myself, and I know that's fucked up because it's not my fault what happened, it's her's, but I would have **never **forgiven myself. I watched those lights almost hit you. I was so scared. If I had to do it all over again, I'd still push you out of the way so you would be safe."_

"_Since I've known you, it's been an uphill battle. We had to prove to our friends, our family- the entire school that we could be together because no one believed in us. Well I believe in you Gabriella, and I believe in us, and I believe in my heart, and my heart just wants you. It's all I'll ever want."_

"_But I cannot apologize for doing something that I thought would protect you. I kept the whole thing a secret from you, because I thought I was doing the right thing. I'm sorry if it's not right, and you know how sorry I am for hurting you or making you shed one tear over me. But I can't…"_

"_I won't apologize for protecting you."_

"_I'm not a bad guy, Gabriella. I'm not. I've never done anything to purposely hurt others. Maybe that's part of my weakness. I'm a people pleaser. I will bend over backwards and work myself ragged so that everyone else is satisfied. That's how I messed up over the summer, and that's how I messed up when I first met you. I'm not brave like you Gabriella."_

She stilled at this development, puzzled by what he was saying.

"_I'm not confident, I'm not the smartest guy, and I'm still figuring out who I am. You…"_

"…_you are **so** strong. I wish you could see how strong you are. You don't take shit from people, not even me, and you know yourself so well. That's why you didn't want to be with me when I started to change. I couldn't even see what was wrong. I was so blinded by empty promises and shiny golf clubs that I didn't even see how much I was changing into someone I don't want to be. Because you love me, I get to see what it's like first-hand when someone always makes the best decision and does the right thing. Every day, I learn from you."_

"_I don't know if you are listening. Maybe you threw this tape away out of anger, and I get why you are mad. I lied to your face and I am so sorry…"_

"_or maybe you fell asleep, I don't know. But if you are still listening, I want to say something to you. If this is your last straw and we're done, I just need for you to know that this is how I have always felt toward you. When those lights fell on me, the last thing I saw was you. Even though I couldn't answer, I heard you when you talked to me. When I woke up, the first person I noticed was you, and when I was starting to lose my sight…"_

_He paused._

"_Through everything, and even now when I can't see anything, and I'm sitting here with darkness all around me, I still see **you**, Gabriella."_

His voice ended as she heard him turn off the recorder.

She didn't say the words out loud, or make a movement to do anything, but she knew without a doubt in her heart what she felt.

She knew exactly what she needed to do.

* * *

**Friday, April 17th; 2pm**

Sharpay and her parents sat together in silence at the Albuquerque Town Hall building.

The small, frail girl in between the two adults wore a solid, plain, black short sleeve dress. She'd found the strength to apply makeup and brush her hair, not wanting to look disheveled or come across as uncaring in front of the school Board of Education.

Her case had been addressed, discussed, eyewitnesses and faculty brought in to recount what they had seen, and Sharpay had been given an open forum to reply, upon which she and her parents had been asked to wait outside as their decision was being made final.

The thick wooden doors swung open and Sharpay's body tensed. Her father instinctively patted her arm gently.

"Case M158. The Board vs. Sharpay Evans?" the security guard called into the hallway.

She stood, weary-eyed.

"You and your parents may come back inside. The Board has reached a decision."

With those words, the three quietly made their way back inside as they were led to one of the adjacent tables from the panel of board members.

Standing, she cast her eyes downward as principal Matsui began to speak.

"We, the East school districts directors in conjunction with the New Mexico State Board of Education have debriefed. In this case, class M section 158, the Board versus Sharpay Evans, we have found the student in question and defendant, Sharpay Michelle Evans, cleared to proceed forth in graduating this Spring with the 2008 senior class of East High.

Sharpay's head shot up in shock. Her mouth hung open.

Both her parents looked at one another nervously.

"By the terms in place however, Miss Evans will not be permitted to be in attendance at the East High graduation ceremony. The diploma will be delivered via US Postal Service to her home address. All conditions of the prior suspension are lifted. All other banning from school events and outside functions as stated in the preliminary explanations, remain in place. Rehabilitation recommendations have been set forth for no less than six hours per week of one on one therapy and/or counseling that must be clocked, recorded, and sent to school officials by the first Monday of every week. Failure to do so will result in a one-time warning, followed by immediate expulsion issued by the Board of Education for the direct violation of the aforementioned mandatory rehabilitation recommendations."

"At this time, I would like to allow Miss Evans to speak to the board. Is there anything you have to say?"

Her mouth open and closed. For the first time in her life, she had no words. Feebly shaking her head back and forth, principal Matsui cleared his throat.

"Miss Evans, with the clearance by the victim's parents, I would like to allude a bit further on why your expulsion has been voided. I received a telephone call two nights ago from Lucille and Jack Bolton. They personally called me to ask that you not be expelled and sent in a formal appeal to the Board of Education that Mr. Bolton hand-delivered the following day."

Sharpay's hand flew to her mouth as her eyes began to well with tears.

"I did not agree with this position, but they were adamantly insistent that we not expel you from East High, so that you would be able to attend school and graduate as planned. I hope that your apologies to the Bolton family are as heartfelt as your gratitude that you owe them. They still want you to see your future, although you have ripped that possibility away from their son."

At this, Sharpay's violent sobs rang throughout the room as she collapsed against her father, whose arms wrapped around her for support.

Neither of her parents would quite ever understand or believe what just happened, but with the loud clack of principal Matsui's gavel, the meeting was adjourned.


	22. Downward Spiral

Miss Darbus' homeroom was practically buzzing. News of Sharpay's hearing spread fast.

Minutes after, texts exclaiming 'OMG you'll never guess what…' and frantic calls filled with gossipy chatter consumed most of the East High student body.

Finally, Sharpay was back in the spotlight.

…and for all the wrong reasons.

Gabriella sat next to Taylor in the back row, discussing their upcoming decathlon meet. Through all the tumultuous incidents and multiple blows in the last few months, somehow Gabriella had been able to focus just enough attention to their practices that she now fluidly grasped the various equations and theories with flawless ease.

She was thankful for the distraction of the upcoming meet. It left her less time to dwell on Troy- where her thoughts instantly seemed to travel.

After receiving his tape, she had driven straight to the hospital, not able to wait for sunrise.

Carefully slipping out of her balcony, shimming down the tree just within arms reach of the ledge and carefully walking her bike to the sidewalk, she then pedaled the two-mile distance to the hospital.

"_Troy?" she whispered into the darkness._

"_Gabriella?" his shocked voice called out._

_A jubilant smile lit up her face as his husky voice called out to her. _

_Quickening her steps, she raced toward his bedside, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck in a tenacious hug._

"_I love you…" he softly spoke, gripping her sides firmly, nestling his nose within her vast array of curls, deeply breathing in her scent-committing it to memory._

"_I love you too."_

_While still enfolded within the others' limbs, he chuckled._

"_How did you sneak in here?"_

"_I have my ways…" she coyly smirked._

"So things with you and Troy?" Taylor cautiously asked.

"All good" Gabriella firmly resolved with a smile.

"Good" Taylor nodded her head.

"Tay?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you" she began.

"…for everything."

Without words, the girls communicated how grateful they were to have one another.

At that moment, a frail figure briskly slipped into the room.

A few gasps rang out as all eyes fell upon the delicate looking girl.

There she was, engulfed in an over-size plain grey sweatshirt, white Capri sweatpants, and grey sneakers.

Faint hints of purple bruising under her heavy lidded eyes, masked by cover-up shone through her pale skin. A low hung, straight ponytail draped along her shoulder.

All evidence of the Sharpay they'd all come to know was gone.

Every ounce of confidence, boisterous claim, territorial habit, contempt in wardrobe, and outward beauty was washed away.

Troy's accident and the following repercussions had sucked her soul dry, leaving nothing but a former shell of the girl she used to be.

Gabriella felt the backs of her eyes sting as her orbs roved over the teenager.

Sharpay held her head down, refusing to look anyone in the eye. Ryan slid into the seat adjacent from her, clearing his throat loudly so as to silently announce that the staring needed to cease.

Rousing themselves from an almost drunken-like stupor, the class pried their eyes from his sister and awkwardly began talking to one another in fragments of mumbled whispers.

A flurry of yellow and orange scarves rushed into the classroom, signaling the start of class.

Gabriella frowned noticing something close to disappointment in Miss Darbus' voice when she called Sharpay's name during roll call.

Sneaking a glance at the girl, she noticed the familiar glimmer of moisture in a solitary tear that ran down her cheek.

To fail her idol and hear the discontent fully radiating from her tone broke Sharpay's spirit even more.

Feeling nameless eyes boring into her, she harshly wiped her cheek and sunk further down in her seat, remaining silent throughout the entire period.

* * *

"Mom, this food sucks can I please just have some Burger King?" Troy whined.

He was met with silence.

"McDonalds, Carl's Jr… _something_ besides this craptastic food!" he exclaimed.

Mrs.Bolton chuckled to herself. Unbeknownst to him, her son had exhibited since childhood a profound talent for the dramatic.

"Troy, you can't have fast food because there is too high of a fat content and processed ingredients. Right now we need to get veggies, protein, and as many good things into your body as possible."

"French fries are potatoes and potatoes are a vegetable" he explained in terms of scientific clarity.

"Nice try, slick" she countered, folding his freshly washed laundry she'd come to drop off.

Although he was usually clad in hospital gowns as he was still being ushered from radiology and various examination rooms, he preferred to be dressed in his normal everyday clothing or lounge wear when he had visitors.

He felt the sight of a gown indicated some neon sign 'ill person' that might as well be tattooed across his forehead. He was not afflicted with some sort of flesh-eating disease and did not want his friends to treat him any differently.

It was a small request, but his regular clothing made him feel less helpless, even if only for a mere few hours when he had visitors. He got to feel a little bit more like everyone else.

He sighed, agitated as he force-fed himself the bland meal of spaghetti and meat sauce.

A smile spread across his mother's features as she watched him carefully spoon the food toward his mouth. He was getting better at gagging depth perception.

"Tell you what Troy-Troy" she began.

"Mo-oom!" he winced at the use of the pet name he had strictly forbade his mother to use in front of friends, family, or any other living creature besides his father. Even then, he usually failed to see the amusement or affection that lie within using the 'baby' nickname.

"You finish up your meals for the day, no complaints, _and _finish your homework on time once Gabriella gets here for your afternoon tutoring and I'll pick you up some Coldstone. Deal?"

"Strawberry Blonde?" he eagerly requested.

"All work finished on time? Strawberry Blonde."

"Deal" he grinned.

* * *

Gabriella plucked several notebooks from her locker, arranging them with precision and care into her satchel.

She had a brief decathlon meet directly after school. With fifteen minutes to spare, she would catch a ride with Taylor to the hospital and work with Troy from 3-5pm sharp before heading home to finish a few short chapters worth of reading.

She'd already worked ahead over the weekend to leave time to study the periodic tables (although anyone in her AP Physics class would know she had them down pat, but she figured you could never be too sure under pressure).

Shutting her locker and jogging down the hall, a light-bulb went off in her head as she remembered she needed to grab her math book to help Troy with their assignment due the next day.

Turning on her heel, she came face to face with the Evans twins.

Ryan had not been sitting with them (letting alone talking to the wildcats) at lunch, opting on eating alone with his sister at the long-forgotten benches out back by the outdoor basketball courts.

He'd give a sad nod or smile in Gabriella's direction, but absolutely no words had been uttered. Not even a hello.

Noting that mysteriously they seemed to be the only individuals outside, she frantically glanced from side to side, looking for a place to hide.

She sighed realizing they'd already seen her and slightly aghast at the idea that even for a moment she wanted to flee.

A tight, closed mouth smile tugged at her lips.

Ryan returned the gesture, a sort of relief apparent in his eyes. It's not that he wanted to cease talking with his newfound friends.

It was just that for right now Sharpay came first. She had not been the ideal sister-actually, she was a far cry from it. But none the less, she was his sibling, and frankly he was worried.

Her behavior rested upon a constant melancholy sadness that had took hold of her entire being.

She awoke late in the afternoons and slowly drug herself to change out of her pajamas.

Once dressed, she would shuffle downstairs, shaking off the cooks' pleas to prepare her a nice home-cooked meal, opting on retrieving an empty glass only to make her way, at a glacial pace, back upstairs to nap soundly in her room.

That morning had been particularly difficult, her movements even more sluggish than usual with Ryan having to gently remind her to bring a backpack. She'd simply come outside, not a book or pen in sight.

Gabriella looked in Sharpay's direction and felt a small gasp escaped her lips.

Somber blue and concerned brown met.

A chill ran down her spine as she looked into the blonds' dead eyes. Nothing was behind the surface.

It happened in an instant, but it felt like hours that the lifeless gaze looked right through her.

She jumped at the feel of a warm hand sliding over her shoulder.

"Jesus! Gabs, it's just me!" Taylor squealed, shocked by her friends' jumpy behavior.

"Oh my gosh. Sorry Tay, I just, I was just thinking, I mean it was…" she spluttered.

"…never mind" she finally settled upon.

"She's not looking so hot" Taylor lowered her voice, nodding in Sharpay's direction.

"Something's wrong."

"Well, she did just almost get expelled."

"No, it's more than that. Something is gone."

"Her mind?" Taylor laughed.

Gabriella reeled, her eyes stern.

"It's not funny Taylor."

Immediately her giggles faded. Gabriella was right, it wasn't a laughing matter.

"Sorry, I was just trying to keep the mood light, you know?" Taylor nervously confessed.

Letting out a breath of air that she seemed to be unconsciously holding, Gabriella relaxed.

"I know you didn't mean it in a negative way, Tay. You ready to head to the hospital? I'm supposed to be there pretty soon" she noted, changing the subject.

Welcoming the shift in conversation, the two friends made their way to the student parking lot.

* * *

"Sorry baby, I got hung up at school for a minute" Gabriella explained while she set down her bags before bending down to place a meaningful kiss upon Troy's lips.

"It's all good. You have a good day?"

He seemed perky and his mood had lifted instantly upon her arrival. She always had that effect on him

Pulling back from his grasp, feeling the loss of contact with his body slightly, she rubbed her temples.

"Yeah, I guess so" she shrugged.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" she exclaimed a little too quick and an octave or so higher than her normal voice.

"I know that voice Gabriella. That's the 'I'm not okay but I'm going to say I'm okay' voice."

"No, it's not a big deal."

"So there _is_ something?" he smirked.

"All right, you got me."

"Take a seat" he smiled, patting the mattress as he scooted over.

Nestling into his side, allowing her head to fall upon his shoulder, stray tears began to fall, surprising her at their steady pace, not quiet sure why they had made an appearance to begin with.

Troy waited for her to calm down. He knew she'd speak when she was ready.

"It's so tough at school."

"What's going on that's tough for you?" he cooed.

"People are always whispering things. I walk down the hall and feel about a million eyes on me, judging me. I never used to care. I'm used to being 'freaky math girl' but those stares at my old schools-" she sniffled loudly,

"those were different. The looks I get now are so judgmental, and your not there to help so, it's just hard that's all."

"I'm sorry I can't be there" came his gentle reply.

"You don't owe me an apology, Troy."

"I know. But I do wish I were there to protect you, or at least take some of the pressure off."

"Yeah, I know."

After several moments of reflection, he spoke.

"Is that all?"

"Not really. Troy," she shifted, sitting Indian style at his side, "Sharpay looks bad. I mean _really_ bad. Something's not right."

"What do you mean?"

"It's like she's gone. Hey body is physically there but she's just not alert, not present."

"It's scary" she quietly added.

Troy wasn't sure what to say and nervously scratched the back of his head.

"Look, let's change the subject, it's really not something I want to get into right now. Besides, you and I have some fun equations to go over!" she grinned in a sing-song voice.

"Only you would get excited about math equations" he chuckled.

As she went to open her book and retrieve the black tape recorder for Troy to provide his answers, he asked her once more,

"Babe, are you sure everything is all right?"

With a forced smile and the slightest hint of doubt that even Troy picked up on right away, she quickly retorted,

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll be fine. I mean, she has Ryan and he's a great guy so… he'll take care of her…"

With that, they dove into their afternoon homework session.

* * *

She watched the syrup-like clear substance slowly fill the glass.

'_When was the last time she'd eaten?' _she thought to herself.

Shoving away the thought of food, or any real care for her health for that matter, her eyes fixated on the relief before her.

This could be her new friend, the way in which she'd build up confidence to return to East High day after day putting up with the torment, stares, and endless harassment she endured.

She grimaced taking a long swig of the stinking poison, downing the entire contents of the glass in one, long gulp.

Ignoring the searing pain in her throat, she opened the bottle and filled up the cup again.

* * *

After several explanations (and a few make out sessions) Gabriella and Troy had finished his homework and she was now wrapped in his arms, lying right by his side.

"Can I ask you something?" he whispered, his hot breath tickling the delicate skin near her collarbone where his head rested.

"Sure."

"What are we going to do about prom?"

"We'll spend it together" she resolved.

"But how? Gabriella I-"

"Troy, that's kind of my not-so-discrete attempt at letting you know I've got it covered" she giggled.

"So you, I mean we" he corrected "still have plans for prom?"

"Maybe" she nonchalantly concurred.

"Maybe is good."

Several minutes passed, and if they were not surrounded by various whirring machines and the faint smell of rubbing alcohol didn't linger, permeating the air, they could just almost feel hints of their old life coming back in that instance.

His body meshed perfectly against hers. The contours of skin, intricate veins, and nerves wove a stunning web of perfect harmony.

His heart, her heart- _their _hearts beat together.

But all too soon a knock sounded from the door and Troy's mother appeared.

He'd delivered on his part of their deal from earlier in the day, and now she was solidifying her promise.

"Hi Gabriella" she warmly welcomed the girl who sat up to gather her belongings.

"Hi Mrs. Bolton" she waved.

"What's up mom?"

"I come bearing gifts" she beamed, pulling two bowls of ColdStone Creamery from a brown bag she held.

"We have Strawberry Blonde…" she carefully handed Troy his serving.

Gabriella's brow furrowed at the deliberate maneuverings of his arms.

Before she had a moment to further question what she'd seen, Mrs. Bolton was offering her a helping of dessert.

"And a Strawberry Blonde for you too, my dear. I hope that's all right. It's just strawberry ice cream, whipped cream, and caramel sauce."

"-and grrrahmmmm craaacker pfeeeeces" Troy attempted to add on through a rather large bite.

Gabriella and his mother looked at one another shaking their heads in unison at the slight mess Troy was already making as he ate.

"It's perfect, thank you so much. You didn't have to get me anything."

"No problem. Are you heading out now?"

"Yeah, I was just about ready to leave."

"Would you like a ride?"

"Um, well I rode my bike here, but…" secretly she'd love nothing more than a ride home.

She felt tired and had already rode her bike several miles that day.

"We can just put it in back, no problem at all."

Gabriella gave a genuine look of relief.

"Thanks Mrs. Bolton."

After a brief kiss atop his head, which Troy wrinkled his nose at but thanked his mother once again for the treats calling out, "Way to deliver on the eats, mom!" she sought out his doctor to go over Troy's charts, indicating Gabriella could meet her out front in ten minutes for a ride home.

The two ate their ice cream, enjoying the sweet confection and their last stolen moments together as dusk turned to night.

As if too fast, ten minutes whizzed by and their ice cream was all finished.

Troy felt a smile play upon his lips as Gabriella leaned down to kiss him once more before leaving.

"What's so funny wildcat?" he murmured.

"You taste sweet…" she mumbled.

"Mmm, so do you…"

With longing regret Gabriella pried her lips from his to meet his mother outside.

On her way out, she grabbed her cell phone and texted a message to the one person she knew would tell the truth, whom had been around Troy just as much as she had to perhaps notice the change.

_**Have you noticed the way Troy is acting? I think something's up…**_

Upon settling into Mrs. Bolton's Explorer SUV she glanced down briefly at the return message and received all the confirmation she needed.

_**Yup. The other day he practically handed me something right into my hands. Call you in 10. -Tay**_


End file.
